School Daze
by DragonAgnstEvil
Summary: We're shinobi now! Why do we have to go to school! Several Leaf Shinobi find themselves trapped in what they believe is a genjutsu. Can they escape and find the culprit while being forced to deal with internal struggles? Violence and Suggestive Themes
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or any cannon characters or storylines. I do own any introduced (aka: new) characters and storylines. I also own my own lazy state-of-affairs and unusual sense of humor. I reserve the right to only put the disclaimer with the first chapter, but it carries over to all chapters henceforth. I also do not own your personality. You are to enjoy or not enjoy this at your leisure. I also reserve the right not to care that this story contains spoilers. In other words, you shouldn't read this if you don't know as much of the cannon story as I do.

* * *

** School Daze **

**Lesson I**

Her eyes slowly flitted open. She was still in a haze, groggy from sleep. She knew her room's layout, so it was easy enough to get around. It was her usual routine. She carefully lifted her bra under her nightgown and fastened it while glaring at the sunrise through her window. She heaved a sigh. How long has it been since they'd failed yet again to bring _him_ home?

As she lifted her nightgown in order to change into her clothes for the day, she glared at the image reflecting from the mirror. She immediately spotted something wrong! The scars on her left shoulder weren't there! Her green eyes glowered at this. The scars were never obvious, but she could still notice them when she tried looking. That was when she noticed something else. Her sakura pink hair was longer, touching her shoulders.

"Sakura!" Her eyes widened as she heard her mother call her name. "What's taking you so long?!" She really didn't know how to reply to her mother's question. She licked her lips, realizing how her nervousness caused them to dry. She quickly tried closing her eyes and concentrating, molding her chakra. She found herself whispering, in spite of herself. "Release!"

Sakura opened her eyes. Nothing happened. Her eyes widen and pupils dilated in pure surprise. There's no way she could mess up! She was an expert with genjutsu, so the illusion should have dispersed. She bit the tip of her thumb nervously. "Even Kurenai has trouble keeping me in a genjutsu…"

She only had a moment to ponder this before her door suddenly flew open. She could see the bold lettering of 'SAKURA' on the nameplate as it caught enough pressure to lift it off the door, and she heard it rattle as it came back to rest flat against that same door. Through the portal, she saw the worried expression her mother wore. She also saw that expression turn to anger.

"Sakura! I was worried when you didn't answer!" Sakura looked at her mother confused. Before she could respond, her mother continued. "You're not even dressed for school!" She could feel her pupils constrict at this. She was about to retort about already being a ninja, but her mother just continued her tirade. "You need to stop being so vain and get dressed! I have breakfast ready, so you better hurry up downstairs. Naruto and Ino should be here soon to pick you up."

Sakura was left speechless as the door slammed on her. Her mother was mad about not being ready for…_school_?! She already graduated the Konoha Academy, and she'd trained under Tsunade for so many years she could feel her body ache at the mere thought. Something else had hit her, though. Her mother called her vain. That wasn't a word she'd heard in a long time.

"It was that sound nin." She thought bitterly. "During that first chunin exam, she called me vain because of how 'perfect' my hair was." She had a sour look on her face as she took a few strands of her sakura pink hair between thumb and forefinger. "I got rid of this a long time ago, though." Her last statement said with an obvious hint of confusion.

With a huff, she walked over to her closet and opened it. What she saw made her want to scream. She didn't recognize a _single_ piece of clothing in there! The Konoha symbol was emblazed on a patch on the right shoulder of several of the blouses she saw, and she could immediately tell that they were all her size. The blouse was pure white with forest green highlights. She looked at the rest of the ensemble. The skirt was long enough to cover to just below her knees and was neatly pleated. It was also forest green. The white socks easily came halfway up her calves.

As she looked herself over in the mirror, she couldn't help but have the sense she was wearing a uniform. She stared at the symbol on her left breast through the mirror's reflection. That was definitely the Konoha symbol she knew, but the idea of going to school at this age was unnerving. She also, finally, took the chance to look around her room. That's what she thought it was, anyway. It was somewhat unfamiliar. There were things here she was familiar with, but there were also posters and CDs she wasn't. She was about to pick up an unfamiliar CD when the pages of an open magazine caught her attention. It contained pictures of unfamiliar shoes, and a particular white pair of shoes with forest green highlights was circled. There was a phrase written next to the shoes which she read aloud to herself. "…possible tennis shoes for school…"

As she opened her door to leave, she spied her diary, resisting the temptation to open it and scream her frustration on its pages. She could only sigh as she gently closed and locked the door and made her way to the stairs. As she rounded the corner and made her way into the hall, she was surprised to see Naruto and Ino standing there. Ino was dressed like her, confirming her suspicions. _"This is definitely a uniform."_ She paused as she looked at Naruto, who gives her this sheepish grin. _"Not to mention, why is he here?"_

Not really sure what was going on, Sakura acted casually and greeted them, nonetheless. "Mornin'. I'll be back after I finish breakfast." She was stunned by the sight when she turned the corner from the hall into the dinning room. Her mother was so angry she was tapping her foot on the hardwood floor with hands on her hips. "Wh-What is it Kaa-san?"

Her mother was disappointed by the casual address her daughter gave her, but she was angry about something else. She couldn't believe how Sakura was acting this morning, and she wasn't going to let it go without a lecture. "What were you doing, taking so long?! Your vanity is just going to drive away your friends! You can't even invite your best friend and boyfriend in for breakfast?!" Time froze right there.

Sakura knew her mother was still going on with her tirade. She knew words were still spilling out of her mouth, but she couldn't hear it. _"Kaa-san just called Ino my best friend, and Naruto…"_ She paused in her thoughts as a hand gently graced her shoulder. She turned only for her cheeks to flush at what she saw. Her mother had finished yelling while she was lost in thought and invited Naruto and Ino in. Naruto stood, ever so casually, with his hand on her shoulder.

She finally took that moment to appraise him. If it wasn't obvious before, it was plain as the sky was blue they were all wearing some kind of uniform. _"Is it for school?"_ Sakura thought to herself. He wore a white shirt with the Konoha symbol also over his right shoulder and left breast, of course he had what she assumed was a pocket. Besides thin and sparsely placed stripes running up and down his shirt, there were no forest green highlights. His pants and shoes were forest green; his shoes were a much darker shade.

"Sakura-chan?" She was interrupted from her thoughts by Naruto's voice. Ino sighed as Sakura's cheeks flushed in the sudden realization she'd stood there doing nothing for several seconds. She approached Sakura and quickly flicked her upside the forehead. "Oi, Sakura! You two have been going out for almost a month! You shouldn't be thrown into that kinda daze from just one touch."

If she had slight color to her face before, Sakura was beet red, now. She can't even come up with a retort before her mother comes from the kitchen, carrying a tray with three plates of a home-cooked breakfast and three glasses of orange juice. She placed them on the table as she called the three youths. "You can't go to school on an empty stomach. Go ahead and eat up." She said this smiling as three hungry, and embarrassed, children took their seats around the dining table.

* * *

A gentle knocking at her door roused her from her slumber. She looked out the window to see how high the sun had already risen. Her pale, lavender globes gently disappeared behind raven lashes before she bolted to a seated position, eyes wide in concern. As she was about to jump out of bed, she heard a voice coming from the other side of her door. "Hinata-neechan…" Blinking, Hinata continued to listen. "…breakfast is almost ready, and Oto-san asked me to get you.

There was a long pause. Hinata felt like something wasn't right. Then she heard her sister again. "Nee-chan?" Hinata nearly fumbled as she got out of bed and responded to her sister. "Y-Yes, Hanabi. I'll be right down." She could tell her sister has obviously been satisfied as she heard footsteps quickly retreated from her door. _"Something's not right here…"_ She just couldn't place her finger on it.

As she walked to her closet, she removed her nightgown. She needed to get ready in her hurry. That was the thought running through her head anyway. She was met with an unfamiliar and almost frightening sight as she drew the doors of the closet open. She saw unfamiliar clothes hanging. She wasn't about to question things. She was in a hurry. She quickly fastened her bra before fumbling the unfamiliar blouse and skirt on. They were unfamiliar, but they felt like a uniform of some kind.

Hinata traced the Konoha symbol over her left breast. It felt familiar yet distant. Her room was also so different than she was used to. It didn't have that traditional clan feel. She couldn't really describe it that well, but it definitely felt like something was amiss. She tried molding chakra around her eyes to summon her kekkei genkai. As she opened her eyes, she silently stated her intention. "Byakugan!"

She blinked in dismay as nothing happened. The colors of her world didn't change, and she couldn't see the flow of chakra. She was alarmed and dismayed, and the door suddenly opening to reveal Hanabi didn't exactly help, either. "What are you doing, neechan? Oto-san is still waiting…" She watched her older sister for a moment. Hinata was slow to reply and found herself stammering. "Y-Yes… L-Let's go eat."

Hanabi watched Hinata smile nervously as they both moved out to the hallway. Hinata saw something in the hall that left her speechless. It wasn't unusual for her to see Neji in the household; it was an unusual feature. He wore clothes also unfamiliar to her, and they matched her own in color. He also had the Konoha symbol over his right shoulder and left breast; the latter was over what she could only assume to be a pocket. He also wore nothing to cover his forehead and, to her surprise, absent curse mark.

"You're oddly slow this morning, itoko." Hinata was almost glad to hear a more familiar greeting from her cousin than his usual -sama honorific. She wasn't sure what brought that on, but she could only smile and nod. She felt her cheeks warm up a little, perhaps from a bit of joy. "I'm sorry, Neji-niisan. I must be holding you up." Neji gave her a curious look before turning around and heading towards the stairs. He replied as he did. "Not at all. I'm just heading down, myself. Ojisan will be mad if we allow breakfast to grow cold."

Hinata and Hanabi weren't far behind Neji. As they reached the bottom, Hinata spotted two unusual backpacks and a suitcase. The larger backpack and suitcase had the Konoha symbol on them and were forest green. The smaller backpack had three circles getting consecutively smaller within each other until the last was almost a dot as its symbol, and it was sunrise orange instead. She felt her eyes contort into surprise. She looked at Hanabi. While her younger sister was dressed similarly, she wore sunrise orange instead of forest green, and the symbol on her right shoulder and left breast was the same as the smaller backpack.

Before her thoughts could continue, their father and Neji's uncle appeared in the portal leading to the kitchen. He wore a faint smile, and it looked like there was flour on his shirt, face, and, very surprisingly – at least to Hinata, apron. "I've got the table set. You three seat yourselves." Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji complied. They were feeling hungry, so there was no reason to complain.

Hinata looked to Hanabi and Neji. They didn't appear the least bit surprised. As her father put the food on the table in front of them, she couldn't help but stare. Her father noticed this, and he quickly tried to comfort her. "I gave the servants the day off, so I thought I'd try my hand at making breakfast." He rubbed the back of his head nervously. He rarely got to do this. "I hope it turned out all right. I know it's not as good as the chefs' meals."

"_That isn't the problem!"_ Hinata thought to herself. She smiled as she reassured her father, however. "No. I just have something on my mind." She looked quickly at the three. They seemed to be in character. She picked up her fork and put a bite in her mouth. She didn't know what her father was talking about. The breakfast was quite good.

As she began chewing, Neji and Hanabi glanced at each other. "You're not thinking about Naruto-niisan again; are you?" Hinata can't help but gape at what her younger sister said. "He's been going out with that Sakura for almost a month now. Maybe you should give up on him." If she was surprised by her younger sister's sudden words, her jaw was slackened by what Neji had to add on.

Hinata managed to remain somewhat composed. She didn't think an outburst would be the most prudent course of action. If she was under some sort of genjutsu or other trick, she couldn't risk saying the wrong thing. She had two choices. She could play along as if the news weren't really news, or she could slam her fists on the table and ask how that happened. She almost felt a smirk cross her face as she came up with an outside-the-box alternative.

She carefully wiped her mouth before taking another bite. She chewed it as if she had a thought running through her head. It was true their last mission to bring Sasuke back failed, and they were, of course, surprised to hear he'd succeeded in killing Itachi. She wondered at just how different this world she was experiencing was from the world she knew. After several more mouthfuls, she could clearly see how astonished Hanabi and Neji were at her calm demeanor.

Hinata gently put her fork down. She had a smile on her face as she gently tilted her head to one side. At the very least, it wouldn't hurt to be informed on what was going on in this world. "Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan are going out? I thought she was still enthralled by Sasuke-san?" Her father had long since disappeared back into the kitchen. She could only guess he was preparing his own breakfast as she watched how Hanabi and Neji reacted. They blinked several times as they glanced back and forth between each other and Hinata.

Hinata felt miserable after she heard the explanation from Hanabi and Neji. She figured she could use the information later, nonetheless. Hinata picked up her forest green backpack while Hanabi picked up her sunrise orange backpack. Neji was already at the doorway with his forest green suitcase, and he was carefully putting his tennis shoes on. As the girls were putting on their tennis shoes, their father brought over three bentou. If it weren't for the scent still clinging to the clothe, Hinata never would have imagined it was their lunch.

The three left the house, headed in the same direction. Though they would soon part at Hanabi's school, they were together for the moment. Hinata really felt happy to walk to school with her younger sister and elder cousin. She just didn't understand what was going on.

* * *

Welcome to the first of _x _chapters of my first Naruto fan-fiction. I'm sure some of you are wondering at why I choose to rate this for violence and suggestive themes. You'll see as future chapters unfold. As you might tell from my disclaimer, I will not be putting it up in future chapters as it is implied to carry over. I will also use horizontal rulers to inform my readers of major shifts (at least I think they are). The double horizontal ruler will be used to separate author notes from story, primarily opening and closing notes.

I appreciate reviews, but I don't respect outright flames. If you have a constructive criticism, I trust you to keep it civil. I work on fan-fictions rather infrequently as I usually require some major inspiration. This is the first time I have _ever_ published one of my works. I chose this one because (a) it was inspired by a dream and (b) it is on one of the more popular series currently out there. Personally, I like the other fan-fictions I'm working on, mentioned in my profile, a lot more.

Well. I hope you enjoyed the story. If you see any grammatical, spelling, or tense errors, please tell me in reviews! I take my writing seriously, and I tried to keep it all in my preferred writing format and past tense for action.

Story Word Count: 2,726  
Story Page Count: 5


	2. Chapter 2

Jays Arravan: I thank you for your review. I actually chose those points-of-view for my introduction chapter based on my dream. Based on how fast I'm moving, the first parts of the dream I remembered and thought, "What the world? Why did I just dream up a near perfect plot line?" will appear in the _next_ two chapters. I also partially chose those two because I don't think they've been given enough screen time, Hinata especially.

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**Lesson II**

Hinata waved Hanabi goodbye as she excitedly walked up to her friends. She watched over her shoulder as her younger sister talked with them as they all walked through their school's gates and through to the courtyard. Through her smiles, Hinata still had several thoughts on her mind. The world around her was strange. The streets were wider, and automobiles zipped by on their way from Point A to Point B.

* * *

Sakura found it awkward to be walking hand-in-hand with Naruto. _"I do like him, but to be dating him?"_ Her cheeks felt warm, so she knew she was blushing. She couldn't help but smile when she noticed Naruto gazing at her with that silly, and obviously love-struck, grin he was wearing. She heard Ino cooing behind her followed by a surprised gasp. As Sakura looked forward, she wondered what she could be gasping for.

* * *

Sakura and Hinata were face to face. Neither knew the other was experiencing strange occurrences they'd both attributed to a genjutsu. Neither realized they'd both failed in trying to break free. What they realized were their own thoughts, and both weren't too happy at the prospects.

Sakura knew Hinata liked Naruto. _"The dunce standing next to me is the only one who doesn't realize it."_ Sakura mused to herself. To her surprise, she found herself clasping her hand tighter around Naruto's. She found it a strange instinct, and, more than that, it felt comforting.

Hinata's pale, lavender eyes quickly fell to gaze at the hands clasped between Sakura and Naruto. She knew Naruto had a crush on Sakura, and she'd also watched as their relationship seemed to blossom while they were both a part of Team 7, Kakashi's team. She felt more like this was a nightmare than genjutsu at this point.

To both girls' surprise, Neji was the first to step up. As he made his way between the two girls, he glowered at Sakura. It was obvious to her that he didn't like somebody taking away his cousin's happiness. She was about to speak when he interrupted her. "I think we should all walk into the school peacefully…" The tone of his voice changed slightly to anger as it became quieter, almost a whisper. "…for once."

The look of confusion was evident on both Sakura and Hinata's faces. Neither had expected that they'd be entering the school courtyard as anything less than civil. As Neji walked through the arched gates, Hinata followed. With a polite bow, she made a shy, near silent greeting. "G-Good morning Na-Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan." Neji paused, only for a moment, as he glanced at his cousin.

While Sakura, Naruto, and Ino stood in place for a moment, Hinata took the chance to ask Neji about the strange glance he gave her as well as the strange things he said. "Neji-niisan, why were you so curt with them, and what's with the weird look?" He didn't answer her for a second. She thought he might be choosing his words. "She stole your smile." She froze in her tracks at his odd explanation. "I never thought I'd hear you use such honorifics with neither Sakura nor Ino after that."

* * *

The event in the courtyard never left either Sakura or Hinata's mind throughout the rest of the day. They didn't know what to expect from classes, but they got by well enough. They started to find more and more familiar faces as the day passed by. It was strange to see that their peers who were chunin and jounin weren't among their elder chunin and jounin as teachers. There were also new roles. Tsunade was the school's principal, and Jiraiya was the, of all things, guidance counselor.

The current class featured Iruka teaching literature. The classroom was chock full of their peers. Sakura and Hinata easily identified the other seven genin they'd graduated with. They were most disturbed by how perfectly they fit into their roles. Of course, there was one among them who couldn't tell a genjutsu if it hit him in the face, Naruto. They didn't see Neji, Tenten, or Lee because they were all their seniors, attending the attached high school.

Hinata followed Iruka's lesson very well, but she sent a glower towards Sasuke every once in a while. After what she'd heard from Neji and Hanabi, she couldn't help herself. She found herself remembering how Naruto saw him as a brother. He looked exactly the same as he'd described him when he and Sakura found Sasuke with Orochimaru and Kabuto. If it weren't for the school uniform, she might have wondered if she were sending an icy stare at the shinobi who'd nearly killed Naruto himself.

Sakura found her eyes wandering between Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke. She heard Iruka, but she wasn't really paying him attention. Sasuke sat in the front row near the window. He seemed to be staring out onto the physical education field. There was no class at the moment. Naruto sat in the dead-center of the room, and he happened to be right behind Hinata. From her vantage point, she could clearly see the other eight of her graduating class. Hinata didn't have this advantage sitting in the second row and only a few columns from Sasuke.

The girls were fairly easy to predict. Sakura, Hinata, and Ino looked similar to how they looked as shinobi, except they now wore white and forest green school uniforms. Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Choji were the same way. The only vast differences were Kiba and Shino. Apparently, the school had a policy against wearing fur, glasses, and turtlenecks. Other than that, they looked exactly the same.

The classroom was rather simple and plain. The teacher's desk sat at the front. Iruka used a white chalk to mark on the green board. A PA hung in the corner near the teacher's desk and nearest sliding door. Outside the sliding door was the classroom marker, 1-C. The C, as both Sakura and Hinata noted, had no meaning except to group each class of thirty. Each classroom had the students' desks arranged in a tidy five rows by six columns. Both girls had also noticed something else. There were markings on the floor to indicate where each desk belonged. It was only during lunch when they discovered why.

* * *

The morning classes seemed to pass by quickly. They weren't really that interesting. The boring day quickly became interesting when lunch started. Ino pulled her desk beside Sakura's. Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji gathered around Naruto. Shino kept Hinata company. Sasuke simply pulled out a bentou and began eating alone.

Ino looked over her shoulder at the crowd Naruto acquired and sighed before she opened her bentou and spoke her mind to Sakura. "I can't believe you don't make him eat with you. You two _are _an item, after all!" Sakura didn't know how to respond to this as she opened her bentou to see what her mother packed her. The lunch looked…cute. She looked through her assortment of food as she realized her friend was looking at her.

The furrow of Ino's brow made her look anxious, and Sakura knew that wasn't the expression she was trying to pull off. Even so, Ino leaned in close to whisper to Sakura. "You've been going out for a month, and I bet you guys haven't even done anything yet." To this, Sakura's face flushed crimson. She leaned in close to whisper a retort, not wanting to draw the attention of the entire class. "How can you say something like that?! Sure I like him, but…" She pauses as she realized how weak the last part made her retort sound. Ino sat back with a smirk as they fell into an uncomfortable silence, eating their lunches.

Hinata looked at Shino with a smile. He still had that serious expression she remembered. He solemnly ate his lunch as he watched her fidget between eating and stealing glances towards Naruto. As his lips parted to speak, he was surprised at what she suddenly blurted out. "You don't have to eat with me just to keep me company. You can eat with the others. You're friends with Naruto-kun, too." She gave him the sweetest smile as she mentioned her crush.

Shino knew Hinata well enough to tell when she was simply avoiding confrontation. He also knew how much she cared for that knucklehead. He couldn't blame her. Naruto had that strange type of personality. He spoke up with that same, stern tone of voice he always had. She recognized it as carrying concern. "You should have more confidence in yourself. I am also _your_ friend." He paused for a moment as he looked to Kiba. Hinata barely heard Shino's next words. "Besides, Kiba's over there to beat some sense into that knucklehead." She nearly giggled at his words. Shino had just implied Kiba was acting like the big brother he always seemed to be. She blamed it on his canine attributes.

Kiba wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulders as he took a bite of his food. He nearly splattered some of his lunch on the blonde's face as he spoke. "C'mon! What made you actually ask that Sakura chick out?" Naruto didn't like the sudden invasion of space as he nearly pushed Kiba away, trying to eat his lunch in relative peace. He'd rather be eating with Sakura, actually, but he was glad to spend time with the guys. It was almost too bad Shino wasn't eating with them, too. He didn't want Hinata to be alone, though.

Naruto took a defiant look as he chomped down some food and responded, mock malice in his tone. "I've liked Sakura since primary. You know I've tried dozens of times." The boys gathered around him did know this; they knew this all too well. As Kiba was about to retort, they were all surprised by the next voice. "How troublesome." Shikamaru's curt statement had only a short delay before he continued. "The girl was so head-over-heels for Sasuke, and you still went after her. You're an idiot; you know that?"

Naruto flashed his foxy grin as he scratched his cheek. That was Shikamaru for you. Choji spoke up next with a full mouth. This action made everybody wish they had an umbrella with them. "Shikamaru's right." He paused as he swallowed. "It's only been a month. She's probably still cooling her heels over what Sasuke did." He paused as he filled his mouth again and began to chew…and talk. "If ya give her much longer, she'll be back to fawning over him." He swallowed again before picking up his bentou and proceeding to wolf the rest of his lunch down. The three boys looked at him with a mix of awe, disgust, and a desire to keep their bentou away from him.

Kiba smirked at Choji's last comment. He took the moment to steal a piece of Naruto's lunch. "Hey!" Naruto screamed out as he tried to take the piece back only to see it gobbled up. He sat back ready to pout. Kiba accomplished what he wanted at grabbing his attention, though. "There's no point keeping a girl like that around. You should look for a girl who likes you for you, not pitying you." He leaned in real close when Naruto gave him a suspicious look. Kiba almost chuckled when he held his bentou closer and began cautiously eating from it.

With a smirk apparent on his face, Kiba whispered something towards Naruto's ear that made the boy's face as red as a tomato. "Have you ever considered Hinata?" Shikamaru and Choji couldn't help but smirk. They just didn't expect Naruto's reaction. "What?!" He suddenly shot up from his seat. The wooden legs dragged across the floor making a horrible squealing sound. As all eyes fell on him, his face turned another shade redder. He quickly sat back down and leaned in close so only the three he was talking to could hear him. "She doesn't even like me. Besides, she's rich and classy. Her dad would think I'm just after the money."

Naruto's friends sat there, dumbstruck. They all had the same thought in mind. _"Is he really that much of a knucklehead?!"_ One other person held that same thought. His jaw hung slack as he did his best not to turn around and start hurting a particular number one knucklehead. He continued to eat his lunch in relative silence. A smirk does broaden across the young man's face. _"That's some consolation at least. I hate to think I wasted my time."_

Sakura wore her trademark 'I'm gonna kill somebody!' scowl after what she just heard. She didn't know what was going on, but Naruto was red enough to guess it was perverted. Ino tried to laugh it off as she turned to glower at the four guys Naruto was eating with.

Hinata blinked, giggled, and blinked again. She didn't know what was going on, but it involved Naruto. It also seemed to involve something embarrassing. She wondered what it was, but she left well enough alone. Shino only raised an eyebrow as he wondered just what Kiba had said.

It wasn't too much longer or many conversations later before everybody finished their lunches and the bell rang to announce the beginning of the second half of the day's classes. Iruka sighed as the students went, peacefully, back to the correct seating arrangement. He had that smile on his face Naruto recognized so well. He was proud of his students doing so well with the freedom they'd been given.

* * *

A long walkway connected the west wing of Konoha Academy Middle School to a greenhouse. Naruto and Sakura were walking down the hallway. She cursed inwardly at Ino leaving her alone with him. _"She said something about club activities, but I know she's just trying to keep me and Naruto alone! She's probably still chasing Sasuke!"_ She paused in her thoughts. Naruto seemed to sense the turmoil in her mind as he also stopped and turned around to look at her.

"Got something on your mind, Sakura-chan?" His concern was touching. She couldn't help but give him and endearing smile before continuing forward. "Nope." She half lied, but she didn't know what kind of trick this was or how much danger she was in. She also didn't know if it was only her or if others were under this genjutsu. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a shadow. She almost choked as she recognized the raven hair as it disappeared behind a corner. She rolled her eyes at the next thought. _"As Shikamaru would say, 'This is going to be troublesome.'"_

* * *

Hinata felt heat in her body as she watched Naruto and Sakura walk along towards a large greenhouse. She felt the heat from both sadness and jealousy. _"There's more than that there, though…"_ She thought bitterly. _"I feel anger."_ She didn't want to belittle Sakura. She gasped as the pink-haired girl took notice of her presence, and she couldn't hide around the corner fast enough.

Before she could react, Hinata bumped into something. She could immediately tell it was a person, and she immediately bowed in embarrassment as she apologized. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…" She was interrupted by a gruff voice. "Nah, you don't have to worry about it, Hinata." Her eyes went wide as she reorganized the voice!

Kiba smiled at her as she looked up. He flashed a peace sign towards her with his toothy grin. In the blink of an eye, he gently grabbed her shoulder to sneak a peak at what she was slinking about to spy. With a sigh, he turned to her. "That knucklehead might think too much about stalking." Hinata's eyes went wide. She didn't like the idea of Naruto not liking her! "I-I…I didn't mean it! It-It's just…I-I-I rea-really wanted to see N-Na-Naruto-kun!"

Kiba practiced something he might not normally in this situation, restraint. "Pfft!" Hinata recognized that he wanted to laugh and scowled at him. He waived his hands defensively in front of him. "Oh, calm down Hinata! You know how he is. He probably promised himself he'd get a date with Sakura at some point." He chuckled as he watched her face sour further. With a smirk, he pulled out a device she'd learned was called a cell phone. "I've gotta get a picture of this for Naruto! He'll call you princess forever!"

The flash from the phone's camera catches Hinata off guard, and Kiba's teasing didn't help either. It took less than a second for a worried Hinata to lunge at Kiba in an attempt to wrestle the phone, thus the embarrassing photograph, from him. She heard a click. "Oops." He smirked as she put two and two together. "You sent it?!" She yelled, and everybody on campus must have been able to hear her.

* * *

I also noticed in my last story post that the horizontal ruler doesn't get saved more than once in a row. As such, it'll simply be used to mark drastic changes and separate pre- and post- script from story. In case anybody noticed, the below totals are based on Microsoft Word's Word Count feature on STORY only. I don't use Fan-Fiction's word count feature for the obvious reason that it counts the scripts sandwiching the story.

I might have a few confused readers at this point. The genin introduced in the first arc of _Naruto_ are about fifteen, third year middle school. The other genin introduced during the chunin exams are about sixteen, first year high school. In this, Konoha Academy is a joined middle and high school. I haven't decided on a name for the primary school Hanabi attends, so suggestions are fine.

As a final note, I'm sure many of you have noticed this chapter is almost entirely plot development. This was the most boring chapter to write, but it had some crucial character development.

Story Word Count: 2,815  
Story Page Count: 5.5


	3. Chapter 3

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* * *

**Lesson III**

Sakura turned when she heard a scream. It was muffled through the panes of the greenhouse, but she could guess who it was. She sighed. _"What is Hinata going on about?"_ Naruto looked around in confusion as he wondered just what the sound was as it was quickly joined by a yelp of pain. He looked to Sakura who shrugged as if she didn't know. _"There's no point worrying Naruto."_ She wore a smirk with that thought making Naruto wonder. _"Did I miss something?"_

The sudden sound of J-pop caught both of their attention. Naruto reached into his pocket and produced a cell phone. Sakura eyed it suspiciously as he looked at the outer display. "Huh? Kiba sent me a picture message..." He trailed off as she jumped forward and grabbed the phone from him. She had a sneaky suspicion, and she finally had a reason to use the girlfriend excuse. "Nuh-uh mister, I'm filtering all your messages!" He backed away slightly with his hands raised in mock defeat.

Sakura almost lost her breath at what she saw. The title was enough to make her want to choke Kiba. _"'Here's your princess!' he says?!"_ The rage was apparent in her face. She knew he was as loyal as any canine, but this act surprised her more than anything. The picture itself was, to her bemusement, adorable! Hinata was pouting, and she had quite possibly the cutest expression on her face. _"He was teasing her to get this for Naruto?"_ Sakura mused as she used Naruto's contact list to forward the picture to herself.

She smirked as she sent the image to her phone and deleted it off Naruto's. _"At least I can use this for ammunition later."_ She didn't know why her thoughts were phrased that way, but she also was going to make sure she had fun with this. Sakura tossed the phone back to Naruto as she quickly came up with a lie. "You're going to tell that pervert not to send you any more of those pictures. I'm sure he likes living." Naruto took her threat seriously by the look on her face. "Y-Yes, Sakura-chan…I will."

* * *

Kiba backed up into a wall. As he leaned against it, he looked both ways for an escape route. He looked ahead as he placed an arm defensively in front of him. A very, very angry Hinata was still approaching. She was approaching at a deliberately slow pace. "You sent it?" Her voice was angry but barely above a whisper. Her head hung low in anger which caused her bangs to hang loosely over her eyes.

Kiba felt frightened of Hinata like he never had before. He let out a chuckle as he tried to dissuade her from killing him. "Come on, Hinata… It was a joke…" She didn't stop. He counted the steps between them as he tried to ignore the throbbing pain coming from the bump on the head she'd already given him. "If…" He paused as he thought out his words and closed his eyes. "If Naruto sees a cute photo of you, he might start thinking about you!"

He didn't understand why he nearly yelled the next part, but she stopped. Kiba slowly opened his eyes to see a red-faced Hinata. He knew what that meant. As he let out a sigh, he knew he struck the right cord in her. She folded her arms over her chest with a huff as she turned to her side. "I'll forgive, this time." He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding before letting a wide grin cross his face. "You're tough when you're angry!"

Needless to say, Kiba said too much. Hinata quickly took one more step towards him and kicked his shin. He let out a pained yelp as she stormed off back towards Konoha Academy Middle School's main building. He knelt down to rub his shin as she walked away. As he massaged the pain away, he saw an unusual site. He saw a cute girl he didn't recognize walk by Hinata with a bright smile on her face.

Hinata was still fuming, so she took no, real notice as the girl brushed past her. Her bright orange hair hung back in a neat ponytail gave an unusual contrast to her forest green uniform. Kiba caught her chestnut brown eyes as she merrily strode past him. As he looked over his shoulder to see where she was going, he noted she seemed to be heading straight to the greenhouse Naruto and Sakura were currently at.

* * *

Naruto clasped his hands behind his head as he walked through the flora present within the greenhouse. Sakura took her time to observe a few specimens and read up on ones she thought might be medicinal. She was pleased to be able to take her time, and she was pleasantly surprised to not hear his incessant whining about being bored. She wondered about that.

"Sakura-chan?" She rolled her eyes. _"It took him a while, but he's finally bored."_ She felt almost triumphant in predicting him…until he continued. "You really like plants; don't you?" She turned to face him, surprised. _"He's not complaining?"_ Her eyes narrowed as she noticed something else. "It's getting later." She spoke with a sigh before standing up. She gave him a smile as she made her way to the door. "We may as well take off. Treat me to something sweet?"

A wide grin spread across Naruto's face as he answered Sakura's question with an affirmative grunt. He quickly dashed in front of her and opened the door, ushering her out first. She gave him a curious look. _"This is nice. Naruto: The Gentlemen."_ She almost giggled at her thoughts as she exited the greenhouse…only to come face-to-face with a familiar, orange-haired girl.

Naruto stepped out of the greenhouse as he noticed Sakura frozen in place. As he heard the door latch, he wore the same shocked expression she did. "Sa…" Before Sakura could finish, the girl wrestled Naruto's arm between her breasts and practically squealed. "Naruto-senpai!" Sakura nearly growled as she sent the girl a fierce glower. "Sa-Sasame-chan?!"

Naruto's stuttering didn't go unnoticed. Sakura's anger somewhat faded with the encroaching concern. _"He doesn't stutter unless he's afraid or confused…and I've only seen him afraid when I'm angry."_ Her eyes slowly fell on the orange-haired Sasame only to feel her anger return in full. When the Fuuma girl regained Sakura's attention, she stuck her tongue out at her with a face full of confidence.

* * *

A young man stood in the shadows in the hallway between the greenhouse walkway and Konoha Academy Middle School's main building. He wasn't making the effort to hide, but he was sure nobody would notice him. Wearing a confident smirk, he watched the situation Sasame created. _"That one's doing well."_

His confident smirk changed into a frown as he looked through a nearby window to see Kiba rush in the direction Hinata disappeared. _"I do have a rather annoying challenge with that one."_ He turned his attention back to Naruto, Sakura and Sasame as he scratched his chin in thought.

* * *

Hinata leaned against the shoe lockers at the main entrance with her eyes closed. _"I better apologize to Kiba…"_ "Hey! Hinata!" She straightened up in surprise when she heard Kiba's voice calling out to her. He was nearly panting as he placed a hand against the nearest column of shoe lockers and leaned over slightly. It looked like he was in a rush to catch up to her.

As he stood straight, he wore his toothy grin and scratched the back of his head. His face was red as he laughed. "I'm sorry, Hinata." She looked at him confused. "But…I'm sorry I hit and…kicked you." She blinked in surprise when he started laughing. "Nah! That's nothing to apologize for." She felt a little better and sight in relief as she placed a hand over her chest.

Kiba scratched his cheek as he thought about what he was going to say. "Listen, you've got to believe in yourself." He recognized her nervous twitch. Hinata put her hands together in front of her and began fidgeting. He always hoped she'd get over that. "You're like a little sister to me." She blushed as she looked away. She was glad he had the same feelings as her. He was always there, supporting her, so she thought of him as a brother. She just didn't know about being thought of as 'little sister' when she was his same age.

Hinata continued to fidget as she tried to speak up, but Kiba interrupted her. "I'm also Naruto's friend. If there's anything that knucklehead needs, it's somebody who likes him for _him_. Sakura's just pitying him." Hinata got defensive at this as she stomped her foot. "That's not true!" Kiba blinked, backing away. "She-She really likes Naruto-kun." She paused when he sighed.

"She's only got eyes for that Sasuke jerk." Kiba noticed the fire in Hinata's eyes at the mention of Sasuke. He took that to mean she was thinking about what he did her beloved Naruto. "She's just cooling her heels with a guy she kinda likes." He paused as he gauged her reaction. "I'll admit; she does have some kinda feelings for him. It ain't love; I'll tell you that."

Hinata gave Kiba a weak smile. She knew it wasn't true. She watched how Sakura changed opinions of Naruto. He had that affect on people. _"She might not know it, and maybe that's what Kiba sees."_ Kiba was beginning to wonder what Hinata was thinking when she took a few steps towards him with her sad smile. "I l-really like Na-Naruto-kun."

Kiba's expression was suspicious as he decided to ask her directly. "Are you satisfied watching from the sidelines?" Hinata shook her head; her long, raven locks swayed to and fro. He continued. "You've gotta confront him sometime with your feelings. You'll only lose to Sakura…" He paused. "…or some other girl at this rate." She gasped at that thought. _"I'm barely okay with Sakura winning his heart! If some other girl takes him… No!"_ Kiba smirked. "Naruto might still be at the greenhouse with Sakura. How about thinking how to tell him on your way back?"

* * *

"Naruto-senpai, how about walking me home today?" Sakura was taken aback by how direct Sasame was acting…not to mention how feminine she looked. _"A year younger than me and she's already got curves like that?!"_ Sakura thought, dejected. She looked over Sasame. It had been three years since they last met, at least in her memories. _"She's grown up, and Naruto did call her cute all those years ago."_

"I'm walking Sakura-chan home." Naruto responded quickly and defensively. The girl he liked was Sakura, but Sasame pressed the issue. "Come on, Naruto-senpai! You can't reject such a cute girl's offer!" Sakura felt her anger snap. "Sasame-chan…" Her voice dripped venom. Sasame, however, didn't look worried at all. "What is it, Sakura-chan?" Her voice held a sing-song quality.

As Sakura approached Sasame, a voice rang out which froze Sakura and Naruto. "Oh? Since when have you been this popular, idiot." They all looked up to see Sasuke walking towards them along the greenhouse walkway. His gaze fell to Sakura and chuckled. "Ah. I thought I saw you." Naruto and Sakura noted the boredom in his voice, even as he continued. "I got bored with you, so I guess it's only natural you gravitate towards the idiot."

The implication was easy to read, and Sasame defiantly chimed in. "Naruto-senpai's not an idiot! Sakura-chan's not boring either." Sasuke glowered as he walked towards them. He only stopped a few feet from Naruto. "I suppose you have a point." He paused to watch the skeptical expressions Naruto and Sakura gave him. Sasame only beamed a bright smile as she clung tighter to Naruto's arm. "He's worse. He's a loser, and he's dense. He does nothing but act like an imbecile, and he's only chased one girl his entire life..."

Sakura couldn't help but feel the heat of anger rise up as her skin started to redden. Sasame's eyes went wide as she was about to retort. "…and she's some ugly fangirl with a large forehead." Sakura's head hung at that comment as her heart broke. She felt her arms involuntarily tense as her muscles went rigid. For quite possibly the first time, she felt like punching him. When she looked back up, tears were in her eyes. She saw something that gave her a fright.

Naruto clasped the collar of Sasuke's school uniform shirt and balled it tightly with his fist. Sasuke could feel the material constrict around his neck, but he gave no signs of concern. "Got something to say, idiot?" Naruto felt his teeth grit as he clenched them in anger. "You're going to say such malicious things and not apologize, jerk?!" Sasame stumbled back when she felt Naruto lurch forward, right arm completely tense.

Without a second thought or hesitation, Naruto pounded his fist into Sasuke's jaw. His head snapped to the right with the impact, and he fell backwards as Naruto released him. He tasted iron and knew he cut the inside of his mouth against his teeth. He spat blood as he stood back up, rubbing his jaw. Sakura backed away with a gasp, and Sasame half-smiled as she put some room between herself and the brawling boys.

* * *

Hinata looked through the open door in horror as she watched Naruto deliver a devastating blow to Sasuke. She was thinking about what Kiba told her as she walked back to the greenhouse. She wanted to find the right words for Naruto when she heard a conversation coming from the walkway. When she heard Sasuke insult Sakura, she felt wrath well up in her.

She knew a fight was coming. Hinata knew neither boy to be the type to back down. Naruto was fighting for Sakura, but Sasuke's agenda was completely hidden. _"Why? Wasn't he your friend? You acted like brothers… You even recognized him as a worthy rival! He's not supposed to be somebody you'd insult so callously."_ She felt tears in her eyes as she remembered what her sister and cousin told her earlier that day.

* * *

The scuffle began. Sasuke attempted to tackle Naruto, but that was countered with sidestep and quick jab at his retreating shoulder. Before Naruto's second punch could land, Sasuke ducked below view and delivered a leg sweep. Naruto couldn't respond and fell backwards. He did his best to reduce momentum by catching his fall with his arms, but he didn't slow quickly enough. He felt his head hit the ground hard. He felt thankful his head hit loam. Even hard, it was softer than sidewalk.

Naruto still lost his senses for a second as his body tensed up in defense. Before he knew it, Sasuke was straddling his chest. He tried to get up, but he found himself pinned by his rival's left arm. Sasuke grinned before slamming his fist into Naruto's cheek. The second punch connected between his cheekbone and brow. His vision turned red. He could barely make out the third punch before it hit where his jaw connected and dangerously close to his ear. He heard ringing and couldn't clearly make out his surroundings.

Sasuke raised his fist to deliver another punch when he felt flesh around his arm. He looked up angrily to see Sakura wrapping her arms around his. "Get away from me!" Sasuke pulled his arm back, forcing Sakura to fall back. As she lands on her butt, she's horrified by what she sees. She's glad to see Naruto standing up, but the left side of his face was messed up. His skin was split at the brow and along the jaw on his cheek. He was already covered in bruises, and his eye was red and hair matted from blood.

Naruto was felt short of breath, and he felt blood trickling out his nose and mouth. He was barely able to push Sasuke off before Sakura returned her attention to them. Through gritted teeth, Naruto spoke and spattered blood. "You jerk! How dare you do that to Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke wore a conceited grin as he stepped forward and started to throw another punch. He felt himself suddenly whipped around as Naruto's foot landed hard across his upper arm. The force knocked the wind out of him, and he stumbled to the ground. "We've been friends for a really long time, Sasuke. Doesn't that mean anything?" Sakura stood as she heard Naruto's familiar words. She could tell he was on the verge of tears, and she was awaiting Sasuke's answer.

* * *

Hinata had her hands over her mouth. She felt horror as she watched Naruto getting hurt, and she felt anger at Sasuke for making him feel so terrible. She wanted to rush out there and help him, but she knew how much that would hurt his pride. He might be willing to accept help fighting anybody else, but nobody could come between him and Sasuke without hurting him in a different way. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Naruto.

When Sakura jumped in, she breathed a sigh of relief. Hinata gasped when Sasuke threw her to the side and attempted to continue, and she cried when she saw Naruto's condition. As she watched the renewed skirmish, she felt her heart jump into her throat as he spat words of anger at his friend. _"Oh, Naruto-kun…I know you won't…can't give up!"_ She could only look on in worry. _"I hope this ends soon."_

* * *

For information on Fuuma Sasame and the Fuuma clan, watch the Land of Rice filler arc where Jiraiya leads Naruto and Sakura on a mission to find suspected lair of Orochimaru. I took liberties with her underdeveloped character, and I also placed her a year younger than Naruto and his peers.

I hope y'all liked the drama chapter. I certainly had fun with the Hinata segments of the chapter. If anybody is curious about Sasuke's harsh treatment, I'll point this out. He is my among my least favorite characters in the series, but I won't be bashing on him the entire way through. He makes for interesting plot development.

I'd love to see reviews especially as I'm sure I have made some grammatical, spelling, and/or tense mistakes somewhere along the way. I also enjoy seeing what people think of the story.

Story Word Count: 2,938  
Story Page Count: 6


	4. Chapter 4

Big Paja: I haven't revealed it's a genjutsu or not...yet. I must admit, though. I'm finding working out the reactions to be very fun. I thank you for being such a loyal reader, and I hope my story continues to be something you enjoy.

Syn'ri: I know! Isn't she just so terribly mean! I must say, though, that the antsy feeling gives me the feeling of: Mission Accomplished! I was aiming for short, like the manga often is annoyingly so. As for quality...I'm not so sure about that. I'll let my readers be the judge of that. I'd like to add one last thing. I was in a bad mood until I read your post. It made me snickerfit, in a good way.

* * *

**Lesson IV**

Sasuke stood as he held his right arm. _"The fight was boringly predictable."_ His eyes fell on Naruto as blood slowly oozed from the wound he received when he scraped the cement on his fall. He spat some more blood, so he could clearly speak. "Looks like we've both had enough, then."

Naruto's knees nearly buckled, and Sakura and Sasame caught him before he had the chance to fall. Naruto gave Sasuke a glower before repeating his question. "Does it mean anything to you? Our friendship?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You've asked me once before." Naruto gasped in surprise as he continued. "It means everything, and I can't live for the future if you keep holding me back."

Sasuke turned and started walking back towards the enclosed hallway. His progressed was slowed by a limp. He almost cringed when he heard Naruto retort. "That's it?! You can't get over something that happened in the past because we're trying to help you?!"

Sasuke stopped as he opened the door and looked at Hinata. "You're such an idiot. You can't understand because you can move forward by abandoning loneliness for companionship." His gaze towards Hinata intensified as his voice fell to a whisper. "You're so dense you can't even recognize feelings one has been offering you since the very beginning."

He walked through the door, making sure to slam it shut behind him. Hinata could only watch as he made his way down the hallway. He looked over his shoulder and barked his next words at her rather than to her. "Tell that knucklehead that I'm the one heading to the academy infirmary. I'm not in the mood to see his face again, so tell that idiot to either go somewhere else or wait an hour." He smirked and chuckled. "Though, the academy will be kicking students out to lock up for the night by then."

Hinata looked after him confused. As he rounded the nearest corner, she could only guess that was the route towards the infirmary he mentioned. She huffed. Naruto needed to see the academy doctor or nurse or whoever, too! She gasped as she remembered something! She had some medicinal knowledge, and Sakura was an official medical nin. With that thought in mind, she rushed out the door.

She wasn't really surprised by what she saw. Sakura and Sasame were supporting Naruto as they made their way back to the building. She stood there and watched them for a moment, and her heart was in her throat as she held back tears for his condition. The only support he needed was to make sure he didn't fall down, but the two girls were being careful and tender. Hinata couldn't help but smile at this as she politely cleared her throat go get their attention.

Hinata nervously fidgeted as she always did around Naruto. Her face was flushed as her eyes attempted to avert their gaze from him. "Um… Sa-Sasuke s-said he was g-going to the infi-infirmary." The three gave her a confused look as they thought about how obvious that was. She continued after a nervous laugh. "He-He said he didn't want to s-see Na-Naruto-kun. I-It sounded like a th-threat, so maybe…"

She was interrupted by Sakura as she rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. Naruto just needs some first aid, and he'll be able to go home once I get him cleaned up a bit." She started walking forward which forced Naruto and Sasame to keep up. As they walked past Hinata, Sakura lowered her voice to talk to her privately. "If you want to make sure he's okay, you can follow us." She smiled as Hinata's blush reddened.

* * *

Sasuke walked into the infirmary showing far less of a limp. He looked around with a scowl on his face. With a deep sigh, he walked up to a desk. There was a medicine cabinet to one side with a mirror. He looked into the mirror and traced the bruise along his cheekbone. "That idiot can at least throw a punch." An image appeared in the mirror which earned his glower.

Sasuke turned around to scowl at the man whom had just walked into view. He was tall with vibrant red hair and crimson eyes. He also wore a scowl as he crossed his arms over his chest and surveyed the damage done to the boy's face. He wore a white labcoat over his simple attire, so he looked like he might be the doctor or nurse in charge of Konoha Academy Middle School's infirmary.

* * *

Sakura found a first aid kit and walked Naruto into the nearest science classroom she could find. At least a science classroom offered water and paper towels without having to worry about teenage angst surrounding bathrooms and 'the wrong gender' entering. She had enough to deal with as it was. She was pleasantly surprised that Hinata had followed them, but she asked both her and Sasame to wait outside while she patched Naruto up. There was no point worrying either girl more than they had been already.

The first thing Sakura did was seat Naruto. With that accomplished, she inspected his wounds. She was, once again, reminded of the gravity of the situation when she noticed the Kyuubi chakra wasn't working its magic. His wounds were comparatively minor, so they should at least be mostly closed up by now. To her dismay, blood still oozed from both the gashes to the back of his head and left eyebrow.

When she was done with her inspection, she started looking for the best position to clean and dress his wounds. She started with the gash to the back of his head. She removed a swab from the first aid kit and applied alcohol to it. She always relied on medical ninjutsu for something like this, but the concept was the same. She applied the alcohol-soaked swap to the wound to which he immediately winced.

Sakura sighed. "Of course it's going to hurt, but I've got to clean it." Naruto tried to laugh it off. "Ah, I'm sorry…" He trailed off with a pained intake of air as she continued. When she was satisfied the wound was clean and mat of blood dispersed, she carefully inspected the gash. It wasn't too deep and the bleeding had already stopped. She let out a relieved breath as she stood.

Naruto's face was to the ground as Sakura walked around to inspect his face again. She could tell he was depressed. "I can't believe he said that…" She shook her head and sighed. She couldn't really fathom it either. As she looked for a comfortable position to treat his face, she finally shrugged as she straddled a leg. She already had a new, alcohol-soaked swab. She applied it to his bleeding brow before he had a chance to realize what was going on.

He nearly bit his inner lip as the alcohol stung at yet another wound. Outside the science classroom, Hinata and Sasame were staring at the scene with wide eyes. They didn't think Sakura would do something like that, and they were both fuming in their own ways. Sasame was obvious with a clenched fist in front of her as she shook in jealously and rage. Hinata was flush crimson with jealously and a general feeling of defeat. She got defeatism rather easily.

Sakura wasn't really thinking that much about sitting on Naruto's lap. She had to clean his wounds, and it was easier this way if she couldn't lie him down. Seeing as none of them really wanted to see Sasuke at the moment and he shared their setiments, it was much better than trying to get him to lie down on the cold, hard floor. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she wanted to avoid getting alcohol in his eye while she wiped the blood from his brow and cleared away the mats it formed.

Thankfully in the course of cleaning his wounds, they stopped bleeding. She knew his eye would be bloodshot for a while, and the bruising wasn't going to be going down too soon. She was happy he wasn't going to need any more than first aid. She stood up and walked to the nearest faucet to start wetting a towel. She wanted to make sure his wounds were clean and prevent infection. She was almost surprised at how rigidly she was following her training despite thoughts this was no more than a genjutsu.

* * *

Sasuke finally spoke up as his scowl turned into a confident smirk. "What, exactly, should I call you then?" The red-haired man scoffed. "I don't care what some Uchiha brat calls me." Sasuke chuckled, closed his eyes, and shook his head. When he heard a giggle, he looked up to see who it was he heard. The voice was too childish to belong to the red-haired man, so he was confused.

The scowl returned to his face as he stood up straight and took a few steps towards the door. In the middle of the door frame stood a small girl, no older than seven or eight. She stood about average height for her age, and her hair was cut clumsily short. Her dark, short-cut hair gave her a tomboy look, and the light reflected just right to reveal extremely dark, natural red highlights. She wore a black robe which appeared to have spirals, chaotic like galaxies, embroidered randomly.

Sasuke had no idea who the girl was or why she was here, but the red-haired man stood with a face full of recognition and panic. Sasuke wondered at this as he returned his attention to the girl. He took a long, drawn out breath as he addressed her. "Are you lost, little girl? I'm pretty sure your parents are worried about you, so you should hurry home." He did have another thought he didn't mention out loud. _"Of course, she could be a daughter to one of the teachers."_ She just stood there and giggled again.

* * *

Sakura was sitting on Naruto's lap again with a damp towel. She wanted to make sure his wounds were properly cleaned, and she was also making sure any remaining blood mats were washed away. As she was inspecting his eyebrow, his head was leaning forward, and he could clearly see the nape of her neck.

Sakura suddenly felt pressure against her neck, and her body shuddered slightly as she realized what it was. Naruto was kissing her neck. She was surprised by how much she liked the feeling, and that surprise forced her to stop cleaning the gash to his eyebrow. When he touched her waist, she felt a tremor run up and down her spine. Instinctively, she embraced him.

Her arms wrapped around his torso, and her legs tightened around his she was straddling. As his hand started moving up her side, her eyes widened in realization and awareness. She looked to the science classroom's portal to see Hinata and Sasame clasping at the frame. While Sasame bore resentment on her face, Hinata looked more ashamed and defeatist.

Sakura immediately pushed away from Naruto and stood. She was more surprised by her own body's reaction. She was forced to take a moment to recompose herself before finding the right words to scold him and keep as serious and livid a tone as possible. She found this practice harder than it sounded. "I think that's plenty, mister." She cursed herself for not sounding believable. "I think it's time to tell Hinata-chan and Sasame-chan just how _fine_ you are."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She inwardly chastised herself for emphasizing the word 'fine' because Naruto wouldn't understand what she meant. Nevertheless, he stood with a nervous chuckle. "Y-Y-Yes, Sakura-chan. Let's let them know I'm fine…" He trailed off leaving her to wonder if he did understand her implication that making out like that was a rather poor decision. She sighed. _"He must have gotten into the moment, as the saying goes."_

* * *

"Hey! Kid!" Sasuke was getting frustrated. The little girl only smiled at him and giggled. The doctor looked oddly flustered, and he had to admit that was adding an element of worry to his own demeanor. When the girl only tilted her head to one side and continued to smile, Sasuke continued. Though having raised his tone, he still managed to sound calm and collected. "You should answer people when they talk to you. Who are you?"

She completely ignored him and turned her attention towards the doctor. He stiffened as one foot inelegantly staggered back. It looked like he was about ready to run. "Hi, Kyuu-chan!" The doctor nervously chuckled as he answered. "G-Greetings, Princess…how have you been?" Sasuke looked at the doctor. _"Kyuu-chan?"_ He took two steps towards the girl, anger apparent. "Don't ignore me."

The girl's eyes opened which revealed them to be hazel. Her eyes were also slanted. At first, her expression was light. He thought she was just bubbly and happy to see people. However, her expression changed to one of disappointment. "Oh? It _is_ just another Uchiha brat." Her words angered him, and his eyes showed outrage. He grabbed her by the seam of her robe and pulled her closer to eye-level as he leaned down slightly. Her eyes looked at his offending hand in displeasure before returning to his gaze.

The girl remained silent. She was obviously challenging Sasuke. With a confidence on his face and in his voice, he finally broke the short silence. "You should learn to respect your elders, little girl." The doctor began laughing, and Sasuke looked over his shoulder to give him a curious look. He sighed and returned his attention to the girl, but he was starting to feel pressure. The pressure was familiar to him as bloodlust, which surprised him. Nevertheless, he continued. "Maybe you should run off to your parents to learn some manners."

The pressure from bloodlust continued to rise, and it was making Sasuke uncomfortable. He couldn't figure out where it was coming from. The girl closed her eyes again and smiled at him. "I don't have any parents." He blinked in surprise, but she quickly started ignoring him again to look at the doctor. "Kyuu-chan, _she's_ coming." Her smile brightened as his face went pale. Sasuke looked at the girl with curiosity before looking back over his shoulder to the doctor. There was only one problem. The doctor already seemed to have vanished.

* * *

As Sakura and Naruto walk into the hall, Hinata and Sasame step away from the science classroom enough to give them space. "Naruto's going to be fine." They were glad to see he was already starting to look better. His face was a little bruised and eye bloodshot, but he didn't look nearly as bad as he did with the blood mats cleaned up. They sighed in relief as Sakura continued. "He'll probably look just about back to normal by tomorrow. I've got some herbs I can use for the bruising, but that eye's going to be bloodshot for a while."

"I-I'm glad, Na-Naruto-kun!" Sakura and Sasame looked at Hinata a bit surprised she was the first to speak up. Hinata found herself gasping before she could continue, however, as Sasame jumped at Naruto. She clung to him by draping her arms over his shoulders and pressing herself against his back. She pressed her chest into his back as she leaned up to his ear so her breath tickled at him as she spoke.

"I wouldn't have stopped you there like Sakura-chan. You'd be _much_ happier with my reward for defending me." Sakura and Hinata were flabbergasted by Sasame's behavior and very direct words. Sakura balled her fist and took one step towards Sasame. With a wide grin, she jumped off Naruto's back and stuck her tongue out at Sakura. Before the pink-haired girl could begin pummeling her, Sasame took off in the opposite direction. Sakura was hot on her heals.

Hinata watched the two of them. Her face was flush and breathing shallow. She was remembering what Kiba told her. _"I don't want to lose to another girl! At least…I don't want to lose without trying…"_ She looked at Naruto. He was scratching the back of his head. "Sa-Sakura-chan…" Sakura and Sasame were already out of sight. Hinata's eyes were displaying her wavering. Her fists clenched in resolution when she heard Sakura yelling out Sasame's name. _"I can't sit on the sidelines anymore! What if some strange girl takes Naruto? Would he really be happy? Could I be willing to just be okay?"_

* * *

As fans of _Naruto_ may have noticed, this chapter starts a rather heavy divergence from cannon. You'll see how this moves things along very soon.

I have one final note. My goodness, I'm doing an awful lot of research for this story!

Story Word Count: 2,764  
Story Page Count: 5.5


	5. Chapter 5

Sadly, there are no reviews to comment on.

* * *

**Lesson V**

"Na-Naruto-kun…" Hinata paused. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Naruto didn't hear her. "Na-Naruto-kun…" She trailed off unable to resolve herself to speak louder. She clenched her fists and held her arms stiffly at her side. "Naruto-kun!" She gasped when she realized just how forcefully she called his name. Her entire body went rigid as he looked at her. His ears were ringing, and he was rubbing the back of his neck a bit nervous. "Yes, Hinata?"

* * *

Sasuke couldn't help but stare at the spot the red-headed doctor once stood. _"How did he disappear so quickly?"_ "He was just motivated is all." His eyes narrowed as he looked back to the strange girl. His jaw hung slack as he contemplated her words. _"Did she just read my mind?"_ The girl giggled before her entire face contorted into an expression resembling insanity.

He felt the skin of his neck pull taut and instinctively jumped back. He let go of the girl in the process, and he tried swinging around to catch whatever came up behind him. Before he could react, he saw the gleam of something metallic and froze when a sharp edge started digging into his flesh. His throat felt constricted as the edge he identified as the blade of a katana formed a small cut.

Sasuke forced himself not to swallow. If his larynx rose, he risked making the forming wound much worse. He shifted his eyes in an attempt to gaze the unknown assailant. He couldn't see whoever it was. Either this assailant hid at a careful angle or stood shorter. The latter was confirmed, and Sasuke found himself surprised once more when the assailant spoke. "So, Chibi-hime, can I kill him?" He felt his pupils constrict even as his eyes widened. His assailant had the same voice as the little girl standing halfway across the room from him!

* * *

There was a loud crash as a certain orange-haired girl came into view. Naruto and Hinata eyed Sasame suspiciously as she patted her butt and stuck out her tongue. "Na-Na, Sakura-chan!" She started running again when a rather angry Sakura ran across the hallway straight for her. Naruto was sweating nervously as he scratched his face and waved his hand in front of him as if beckoning someone. "Sakura-chan…"

* * *

"Who…are…you…?" Sasuke's voice strained. "Ah… It's just some Uchiha brat." He felt a vein pop at the sound alike and her disappointed voice. He felt an arm slip between his arms and back. He was surprised at how well this girl was able to restrain him. He could barely squirm with the combination of her grip and sword stance, so he knew escape was out of the question…for the moment.

The girl changed position slightly, and Sasuke could barely lean back in time to prevent the katana from digging further into his neck. The edge was risking slicing his throat. He grated his teeth as he raced his mind to assess the situation. "I thought I smelled Kyuu-chan." Sasuke felt his lips curve upwards as a confident smirk retook his face. He might be able to use that.

"May-Maybe…I can…help you…find…him…" He hated that his voice was strained. He couldn't see it, but he imagined the girl's eyes lighting up. "You mean it?" Her grip loosened slightly. He wasn't able to nod, but breathing and talking were eased. "If by Kyuu-chan you mean the Kyuubi no Kitsune, it won't be a problem. He can't hide from my eyes." The girl's mood immediately darkened. The blade pressed harder against his throat than before, and, now, he was straining just to keep conscious.

Sasuke glanced at the other girl. She wasn't as obvious, but he was able to see the disdain in her eyes. "I hate that attitude of you Uchiha brats!" He finally realized the bloodlust he was feeling so pressured by was being given off by these two girls. His eyes started to roll into his head as he struggled just to breathe. "That's enough."

The blade left Sasuke's throat. He fell to his knees trying to process whose words saved him. His vision was blurred, so he couldn't clearly make out what he saw. His brain managed to put the pieces together. The girl who had held him walked towards and stood beside the other girl. As he regained his composure, he stood while clutching his neck. He could feel the small cut and forming bruise. He coughed as he took them in.

The girls looked exactly the same. He could only tell them apart by looking at their eyes. The girl who was called princess had hazel irises atop white sclera. The other girl had crimson irises atop black sclera. He decided to call them princess and dark one, respectively.

The princess looked at the dark one and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's rare enough that an Uchiha is able to come here; rarer still for one to bring Kyuu-chan to play." The dark one sighed as she sheathed the katana which then flickered from sight. He blinked. "You can't use chakra here!" They both glared at him. "This is our world, our rules." His head jolted back…which he instantly regretted as his body reminded him how much pain his neck was in. He painfully coughed and growled.

"Fine. Whatever." Sasuke finally conceded. He still covered the wound on his neck as he tried to further interrogate the girls. "What do you want with the Kyuubi anyway?" The dark one grinned maliciously as she, in a manner of speaking, bore her fangs. "Kyuu-chan is strong, and we live to find and fight strong opponents." There was a loud crashing sound as she mentioned wanting to fight Kyuubi. Sasuke and the two girls looked to the source of the sound, and the dark one grinned wider.

* * *

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata felt her mind pleading for him to pay attention to her. He turned to face her again. "Hmm? What is it, Hinata?" She breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure how long she could keep her resolve. "Naruto-kun, I…" Another loud crash drew both teens' attention. Sasame was looking both ways for an out as Sakura approached, drawing up her sleeves. "Sasame-chan, we need to talk." Sasame was between a water fountain and a mop and bucket. She pushed the mop and bucket towards Sakura and used the opening to escape. They disappeared from view once more.

* * *

The dark one pulled open the curtains which obscured a gurney from view. The red-haired doctor hid underneath and gave a nervous smile when he was found out and watched a sheathed katana flicker into the dark one's grip. "He-Hello there…" He scrambled opposite the dark one as she quickly unsheathed her katana and sliced in his general direction. The gurney fell in half as the dark one held her katana aloft and sheath to her side. Sasuke could only ponder her fighting style.

"Kyuu-chan really is strong." Sasuke looked at the princess as she cooed her admiration. "We've been looking forward to fighting him again for lifetimes." Before he could say anything, the doctor rushed past him. The dark one wasn't far behind as she flayed her sword about. "Come back, Kyuu-chan! I want to play!" Sasuke shook his head. "Why waste your time with the Kyuubi when you could fight somebody capable of taming him, like Uchiha Madara...?" He paused. "…or me?"

"Orei?" The princess looked confused for a second. Sasuke's expression soured as she fell on her back and rolled around in laughter. He was about to snap at her when the doctor rushed past him again. "Stay away from me you crazy sword freak!" The dark one wasn't far behind as she flailed her sword about. Though she looked crazed, she seemed to be in utter bliss.

Sasuke shook his head as he tried to remain mad and not laugh at the ridiculous situation the red-haired doctor found himself in. "Care to tell me what's so funny?" The princess smiled as she sat up and looked at the doctor as he rushed by. He had something to add in. "You think that Madara brat tamed me?! If it weren't for the annoying attributes of the Mangekyu, I'd have bit his head off!" Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose as the dark one followed close behind. "Come back here and fight me!"

* * *

Hinata was starting to get annoyed by all the interruptions, but she was determined to use Kiba's advice! Naruto shook his head and turned back to her. "Did you want to tell me something, Hinata?" She nodded her head and continued. "I l-really…" She stomped her foot as yet another loud crash interrupted her. Naruto looked to the abrupt noise. He was beginning to wonder if he should help Sasame by keeping Sakura from trying to kill her. "Hehe… Sakura-chan's really mad…"

* * *

Sasuke gave the princess a suspicious look. He wasn't about to believe what he just heard! "You expect me to believe you weren't afraid of Madara and those 'annoying attributes' the Mangekyu possess?! My eyes are strong enough to see you even sealed inside of Naruto!" The doctor stopped running from the dark one and walked up to Sasuke. He grabbed him by either side of the collar and spat out his anger.

"The Mangekyu is a dimensional jutsu! Among all dimensional ninjutsu, the Uchiha brats possessed the most annoying." The dark one looked as if she was continuing the chase, but she stopped to listen to the doctor as he finally talked some sense into Sasuke. "The Sharingan can see me because it is a _trait_ of the Mangekyu!" The doctor released Sasuke and pushed him back. He gazed over his shoulder and growled. "I only agreed to listen to Madara, giving him something similar to a contract to summon me, because I didn't want to come back here!"

The princess stepped forward. "It really is rather annoying. The Uchiha brats who actually managed to fully develop their Sharingan were somehow able to tap into our world. They even managed to draw out the black flames. The particularly skilled were able to store stuff here to use later." She crossed her arms over her chest as she let out an annoyed sigh. "Those Uchiha brats also send things that bother them here! Just the other day, a non-Uchiha sent an explosion and some limbs here!"

"Fine." Sasuke straightened out his shirt and dusted himself off. He gave the girls a glower of disbelief. "Let's say, for the sake of argument, that I believe you. The Mangekyu isn't what tamed the Kyuubi no Kitsune, a demon of raging fire, but it was some beings who exist in an alternate dimension." He paused as he tried to gauge their reaction. The doctor was annoyed, but he didn't show any other reaction.

Sasuke continued. "You two girls don't look older than eight." He kept in mind that the princess mentioned lifetimes, but it wasn't important for this argument and his point. "There's no way you were around a hundred years ago when Madara would have 'tamed' the Kyuubi!" He stood, triumphant, with his usual confident smirk plastered on his face. He was sure his logic was sound, and he was certain the girls couldn't counter his point.

The princess and dark one looked at each other with a hesitant confusion. The dark one was the first to speak up. "Tch. It's only been a hundred years, Kyuu-chan?" Sasuke's jaw hung slack. _"Now they're going to speak of a hundred years as if it were nothing!"_ The doctor scratched his chin. "Well… It's been about eighty years since the First Hokage founded Konoha, so that sounds about right." Sasuke gave the doctor a disdained look. _"How can he be so casual about this pointless drivel?"_

Sasuke is thrown from his thoughts when the princess starts laughing. "Wow! It's been over four-hundred years since we last saw you." He narrowed his eyes at her in disbelief. She smiled brightly with something else to add. "Time encompasses us differently, Uchiha brat. I've spent seventeen years in this lifetime. I'm much older than I appear. Though I have the body of a child, I have the experience and memories of untold millennia."

* * *

"Sasame-chan…" Sakura paused as the orange-haired girl backed into a corner. She sweated nervously as she knew she had nowhere left to run. "…let's have a little chat." Sakura cracked her knuckles. It was a practice she picked up from Tsunade, and it worked quite well to panic the enemy. Sasame nodded her head. "A-All right, Sakura-chan…" She smiled, but a twitch in the corner of her lip betrayed how nervous she felt.

Sasame wore an astonished look as Sakura slumped and heaved a sigh. "You're not going to run any more?" Sasame nodded. "No…" She knew she couldn't go anywhere anyway. Sakura looked up with a smile as she rolled her shoulder. It calmed her down as it released some anxiety. "That's good. I never really wanted to hurt you, but we do need to talk." Sasame licked her dry lips as she nodded. She felt she may as well stay on Sakura's good side and listen.

Sakura rubbed the bridge of her nose. _"I don't even know what to say. I'm supposed to be dating Naruto, but I don't even know how I feel myself. I don't think I could be jealous of some other girl if he liked her, but I get flustered when I see her hanging all over him…"_ She sighed at her thoughts before continuing with Sasame.

"You can't just go throwing yourself all over him." She paused as a rather annoying memory popped into her head. _"Though, he did kind of promise to marry a priestess because he was too dense to realize what she was asking him…"_ She felt heat rise in her cheeks with that memory. _"Naruto can be embarrassing sometimes."_

Sakura scratched her cheek as she tried to think of something else. "Naruto may be a bit dense when it comes to…romance, but he's got a good heart." Sasame nodded and sounded off in agreement. Sakura smiled. At least they were getting somewhere. She was stunned, however, when Sasame spoke up. "We've got to educate him in the ways of the woman's heart!"

The sounds of torture echoed throughout the hallways.

* * *

Naruto wasn't feeling too well. He could hear Sakura's rage, and that meant Sasame wasn't fairing well against the pink-haired wrath. He sighed as he remembered he was talking to Hinata. When he felt his shirt sleeve being tugged, he turned to face her again. "Ah… Sorry about that, Hinata. You were saying?" She nodded.

Hinata's lips parted to say something. She fidgeted when the words didn't come. Naruto tilted his head to one side. "Huh?" He was sure she said something. At least she meant to say something. Her lips parted again, but she averted her eyes and looked to the ground with a crimson face when he leaned in closer to listen to her.

Hinata's heart raced. She closed her eyes as her entire body squirmed. She fidgeted her thumbs and forefingers in front of her as she fought her inner turmoil. _"It's now or never…"_ She thought this would be her one and only chance. She looked up. Naruto's face was inches from hers. Her blood was at a boiling point as her face learned new levels of crimson flush.

Hinata drew in a deep breath as she looked into Naruto's eyes. She took in the full warmth they portrayed. She felt lost just looking in his eyes. She felt found just looking in his eyes. She wanted to kick herself for her mind pulling in too many directions! "I… Naruto-kun… I've l-really… I've really liked you for a long time!" She paused, wide-eyed, as she looked at a frozen Naruto.

At that instant, all time froze for Naruto. His mind just shut down. He knew that something was happening outside his body. He even saw Hinata as she continued to talk. He blinked. At least he thought he did. He tried reading her lips. She was moving faster than him though. _"Why? Why is Hinata racing by while I'm stuck at a standstill?"_ Her eyes went wide as she noticed something. _"Is there something behind me? Wait!"_ Hinata turned and ran away. _"She's running away from me? Why? Wait! Hinata!"_

Naruto stood frozen to the spot he stood. He wasn't able to understand the reason he could only stand and watch. He wasn't able to understand the reason she ran away. There was only one thought. Hinata confessed to him.

* * *

This chapter was brought to you by my 'devious streak' as it has been dubbed by a friend of mine. You can also blame him as he, quite by accident, gave me the idea of Kyuubi no Kitsune being in a rather...comedic routine. I was actually going to do this and the Hinata confession last chapter, but length constraints (self-imposed) and a love for evil cliffhangers forced me to leave them until this chapter. There was another reason, though. Madara's getting stupid, so I decided to give cannon some time to compensate before I started playing around with things a lot more. I do mean a _lot_, too.

I think I'll notate the use of Chibi-hime and orei. Normally, I'd write out "Little Princess" instead of the Japanese Chibi-hime, but something told me to write it as you all saw it. As for orei, it's a 'cute noise' I couldn't think of any other way of writing.

I think I'm more or less halfway done with this fan-fiction (key word: _think_). I've already revealed a great deal of the plot, and all the pieces are falling into place. I've managed to introduce elements that will be helpful in future _Naruto_ fan-fictions, if I write any.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames are outright ignored. As much as I've tortured you with waiting until the _very end_ of this chapter for Hinata's confession (despite starting it at the very beginning), I'm sure there are plenty of comments awaiting. I am grinning evilly at my devilish accomplishment of torturous invention. For any in a quandary, I do make this post-script up as I go along. It's the pre-script which has screening!

Story Word Count: 2,780  
Story Page Count: 5.5


	6. Chapter 6

Syn'ri: I'm sorry, but updating faster would be a...problem. As my profile mentions, I'm going to school for my Bachelor's. I also have a full-time, retail job. I have, effectively, two full-time jobs(not including the fifteen hours a week driving!)! I do thank you for the compliments. People always told me I made killer cliffhangers.

Sakura12: Sadly, I don't notice most of the non-Japanese misspelled words (usually misused such as 'sight' instead of 'sighed') until subsequent read-throughs after posting a chapter. Pointing these out could help improve my proofreading with future updates and releases.

* * *

**Lesson VI**

Hinata's face warmed, and she knew how fiercely she was blushing. She fought the urge to faint as she looked up to Naruto with the brightest, sincerest smile she had ever worn. "I-I, ever since I first saw Na-Naruto-kun, I've really liked you…" She didn't know why she suddenly changed her point of view, but she forcefully averted her gaze when her eyes opened. He was staring at her, and it made it hard to concentrate.

She regained her composure, but her hands rose defensively in front of her as she began to fidget her forefingers and thumbs. "Y-You've always b-been my inspiration." She swallowed hard as she tried to staunch her words from stammering. "I've always l-looked up t-to you. I-I lo-looked at you when others only l-looked down on you." Tears were in her eyes. She didn't know his circumstances, but she knew the villagers hated him. She knew he pulled his pranks just for attention.

* * *

Sasuke fell back at the sudden revelation. He was sure his face was pulled as tightly as it had ever been. _"This little girl…what is she?!"_ The grin on the princess' face only grew wider. The dark one stifled a giggle. The doctor felt his eye twitch as he let out a disgruntled sigh. "If I had the rest of my memories…" He whispered to nobody in particular, but both girls shot him a curious glare. Sasuke did not hear him.

After a moment, Sasuke blinked and looked at his hand. He watched as a velvet sparkle arched from finger to finger before running down his palm. A broad smirk spread across his face as he stepped backward. He kept his eyes on the girls. _"Good. They're watching the 'good doctor' instead of me."_ He carefully angled his hand behind him and felt out his steps until he gently brushed up against the cabinet.

He turned around and opened the door, and he listened to the wheels as they slid across their metal tracks. The gleam coming from his Kusanagi's hilt brought him undue pride. As he grasped the hilt, he felt an intense bloodlust flood over him. His breath whistled between his teeth as he quickly unsheathed his katana to intercept whatever was attacking him. Despite his expectations, Sasuke was left agape to see that the princess was bearing down on him with her own katana. He recognized the crazed look in her face, and pushing back was all he could do to stop her from crushing his throat.

* * *

Hinata wore a small smile at how rigid Naruto was. She knew it must have been a shock to his system. She looked down. She wondered how he viewed her self-righteous, pompous clan. More importantly, how did he view her? She wore a genuine smile when she looked up to him again; her eyes were tightly closed as she held back tears. "I looked up to you because…you could always wear that energetic, happy, outgoing face." She didn't notice her stuttering was gone.

Her expression darkened as her words dredged up sour memories. At the chunin exams, Naruto seemed so depressed before he had to fight Neji, her very own cousin. When it was certain Orochimaru had his clutches in Sasuke, Naruto seemed so distant. She partially blamed that on Sakura for the promise he made her, but that thought always made her feel guilt as it _was_ Naruto who willingly made that promise.

She wanted to get away from those negative thoughts, so she looked back to his eyes. She found that to be a mistake as she lost her voice, so she followed his facial lines. "I was so glad when I could finally inspire you…" She paused at that memory. She giggled slightly. In the negatives surrounding both Neji and Sasuke, she _did_ find ways to help! "…that I thought you'd finally see me. You did; though, not the way I wanted."

* * *

Sasuke managed to roll away as he kicked the princess in her side. She landed on her feet first, and all he could do to keep dodging was roll until he could gain his feet. Her speed astonished him. Adding to that, the princess held her katana and sheath exactly like the dark one. His eyes narrowed as he noticed something else. The cross guard to both swords was the same. The two seemed to mirror each other.

He was forced to jump back as the princess suddenly rushed him. He unsheathed his own blade and rushed the princess as electrically charged chakra raced over its edge. "I gained one victory! I'll not have that spoiled!" Though his voice maintained its steady level, the rage was becoming more apparent.

* * *

Hinata looked down. She watched her fingers fidget in front of her chest. As she heaved a sigh, she wondered just how much of what she had to say was a shock to Naruto. As he hadn't spoken up and seemed to be glued in place, she wore a bright smile at a thought. _"I fell in love with everything about him. Our friends call him dense and a knucklehead, but he always tries his hardest!"_

Her eyes lit up at that thought. "You always try your hardest, Naruto-kun. I knew that even if all you did was acknowledge me as your friend that you'd always try your hardest for me. I wanted to do the same thing. I adopted your nindo, but…" She paused. Since then, she'd never gone back on her word. She didn't think she had grown any stronger, but _Naruto_ recognized her. She smiled brightly and finally looked into his eyes. His azure eyes always captured her lavender orbs. At the same time, she was never forthright with him about her feelings, so in that she failed her adopted nindo. Her smile dimmed slightly. "…I neglected to be honest about the most important thing."

* * *

Sasuke smirked when his blade came into contact with the princess' katana. His expression contorted into one of shock as she not only held him off but parried him. He jumped back to examine his blade. He felt a glower wash over his expression at what he saw. Where the two blades clashed, he could barely make out a miniscule nick. He found it hard to believe he could be facing a blade of equal or greater power than his own.

He felt his own curiosity creep up. "How can you deflect my Kusanagi with your blade, especially empowered by chidori?" The princess looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Why interrupt the fight with talk?" He noted her obvious displeasure at having a conversation while fighting. It's not like he wanted to fight in the first place. Despite her obvious talent at it, she still only looked like an eight year old girl.

Sasuke sighed as he tried to keep at his absolute calmest. "Answer the question." His voice was commanding, and the show of irritation brought a glower to the princess' face. She answered with contempt clear in her voice. "Our blade is strong." He noted the odd use of plural and singular. He didn't quite understand the personality quirks the girls seemed to share, but he was certain she hadn't misspoken.

* * *

"I always thought I'd be happy just watching you. If you were happy, I thought…I thought I'd be happy, too." She realized how much a blatant lie she had been telling herself this all these years. She shook her head vigorously. "It was a lie! I was jealous of Sakura." She felt bitterness in thinking of a new rival. "I was jealous of Sasame!"

She took in a deep breath. She was trying not to let her emotions to get the best of her. She opened her eyes and, for quite possibly the first time, was the one to look into his eyes. His azure eyes immediately captivated her. She started to lean forward and stretch out on her toes. Her lips puckered up, and her eyes started to slowly close.

Hinata hastily wobbled backwards. Her eyes were like saucers as she noticed somebody standing behind Naruto. This specific person had pink hair and an astonished look on her face. _"Sakura? Oh no!"_ She finally realized just what she was about to do.

She turned. Her hands forced themselves over her mouth as she ran. She didn't know what Naruto's response was. She was concerned for only one thing. _"I almost did something terrible to Sakura!"_ Her thoughts paused as she skidded through a corner and made a beeline towards the main hall. She wanted her shoes and out of this place as fast as possible. _"Naruto could never forgive me if I'd gone any further!"_

Sakura was surprised and impressed to see and hear Hinata's rather passionate, if interesting, confession. She felt a smile creep across her face even as Hinata rounded the corner into the main hall. With a sigh, she rolled her eyes and approached the still frozen Naruto. Sakura placed a gentle hand on his stiff shoulder. "Naruto." She emphasized each syllable with careful clarity.

* * *

Sasuke didn't have the time to voice his retort before the princess launched into an attack. He quickly raised his blade to meet hers, but she swung the sheath to meet his blade. His brow furrowed as matters were made worse. _"Her sheath deflected Kusanagi?!"_ He was furious as waves of killer intent flowed from him like a river.

The princess didn't even flinch. She quickly swung her katana at Sasuke's exposed shoulder. His eyes widened as he jumped back, but the harsh metal digging into his flesh caused him to grimace. He looked at her with controlled breaths as he tried to formulate a plan. She tilted her head slightly with a joyful smile even as blood dripped off her blade.

Sasuke swallowed hard. _"Just what is she?!"_ The princess disappeared from his sight, and he knew she was pressing her advantage. He spun to bear his blade against her attack. For all his anger, he continued to be surprised. She managed to get behind him, and he was forced to jump back once more and stay on the defensive. She lurched forward, and her katana and sheath were only a blur of motion. He was finally forced to use chidori to cover his body in an electric armor even as he barely parried her attacks with his own Kusanagi.

Watching the princess' movements carefully, Sasuke finally found what he thought was an opening. He swept his blade level with her waist. At first, he knew he made contact with something. She hadn't been able to block, and the rip of cloth was clearly evident. He just was unable to confirm the impact of flesh, and he was denied the smell of his target's iron blood. His face was awash with more emotions than one would dare count, and his breath was forced through tired panting.

The princess jumped back after the blade merely floated through her body. In the wake of Sasuke's blade, a vague rippling effect of blue and red hues could be seen. While he stood agape slowly losing his composure, she pouted and gave him an ugly stare. "Is that all you amount to? You can't even face me at my weakest?" What little composure he had remaining nearly evaporated as twitches took to the corner of his mouth. That's when he saw the doctor…kneeling with ragged breath.

* * *

At the moment the princess started her little spar with Sasuke, the dark one couldn't resist launching herself into battle with the doctor. Her face was twisted in sadistic enjoyment. She opened with a backhanded swing at the doctor's head with her sheath. Without the advantage of his own blade, the doctor could only put up his arm in defense. The sickening grin the dark one wore only broadened as the blunt-force the sheath offered didn't seem to affect the doctor.

She took a diagonally upward swing at his side with her blade. He responded by thrusting his arm directly in its path. Though seemingly suicidal, his tactic proved beneficial when no blood was drawn. The doctor only seemed to lose a sleeve in the process as the blade was deflected. He also seemed to understand the girls didn't enjoy talking as they fought as he remained starkly silent. He merely watched her movements to best devise his next course of action.

The dark one continued to swing her katana and sheath at the doctor. He didn't allow his limbs to come into contact with those instruments of death again. He was careful to sidestep a blow to his side. A careful spin saved his head from a sudden separation from the shoulders. He spared himself serious injury through careful dodges which resulted in glancing blows and minor scratches. He knew the patience of his opponent all too well.

He stepped backwards and twisted on the ball of his foot to avoid another sheath blow. As if on cue, the dark one awkwardly swung her katana in a horizontal slash. The doctor jumped back and held his arm back as a fierce current filled the room. "I learned this from my most gracious host…" The doctor held back a chuckle as a smirk spread across his face. In the palm of his right hand, a tight mass of pure chakra formed with a bright, red glow.

The dark one stopped for a moment as she watched this new action. The doctor didn't miss the opening. He launched himself forward as he thrust his arm in front of himself like a spear. To him, it seemed he succeeded in landing his target square in the gut. She even keeled forward with wide eyes as the rotating sphere continued to vault forward. It was his turn to be surprised when her sword nearly cleaved his arm at the elbow, and he was forced to jump back.

The doctor fell to his knees nearly wheezing. He looked up and swallowed. The dark one was standing not three feet from him. She rested the flat of her katana on her shoulder as she held the sheath lazily at her side. Her black robe was torn in a spiral rip where the Rasengan impacted. "Tch. You can't tell me that's all the power you've got, Kyuu-chan." Her disappointment was palatable.

The doctor let out pitiable laugh before a deep intake of breath and a growl. He looked over to Sasuke to ensure he heard this, too. "When the Fourth sealed me inside the kit, he only sealed about half my chakra and memories within." The dark one was visibly disconcerted with this news. The princess growled, sheathed her katana, and crossed her arms over her chest. The doctor knew he had a captive audience, and the expression on the Uchiha brat's face brought a smile to the doctor's face.

He cleared his throat. "I don't know what his plan was. Maybe it was too much a burden on the kit, or maybe he wanted to separate my yin from my yang to give him a better chance. Whatever, he probably messed up. My only memories are my rage!" He spat the last part out more at Sasuke than anybody else. "I hated the Uchiha, and I hated Konoha because of that. I really didn't know what I felt about 'Uzumaki', so I tolerated the kit even while attempting to influence him."

The doctor breathed a sigh of relief as the dark one sheathed her katana, and it quickly flickered from sight. He noticed the princess wasn't holding her sheathed blade anymore, either. The latter spoke up while rolling her eyes. "That means you aren't near as strong as last time." The doctor chuckled. "Yeah… I can't offer up any challenge."

Sasuke slammed his fist into the ground. Nothing he heard made any sense to him. The girls and doctor looked at him. They looked annoyed, but he wanted…needed answers. He carefully stood up, not fully trusting his legs, and stared them down. He could feel the sweat beading at his temples. "You mean to say, all this time, that idiot's only been playing around with _half_ your demonic chakra?!" The rage burning in his eyes belied his normally poised composition.

* * *

The sun was setting, and the events in the infirmary remained known only to those within. As Hinata tore away from Naruto and Sakura, Sasame casually strode into the hallway. She watched the supposedly loving couple take a slower pace towards the middle school's main hallway. As she crossed her arms over her chest, she leaned against the wall with a sigh. She rolled her head before settling her head against the wall, half wincing at the sizable lump Sakura left.

"Things have certainly set into an interesting motion." Sasame turned to watch the changing hues of the sky. She had a deep admiration for Naruto, and she held onto that for three, long years. At least they seemed long. She had a dreamy expression on her face as she recollected the day's events. She wanted to hang onto them all the more as she thought about how the brash young boy had developed. "Hmm, Sasuke…thank-you. I wanna keep him!"

* * *

I'm mildly surprised nobody's taken a crack at where the girls _might_ be from.

I think I've successfully demeaned Sasuke to a mere plot device, as was my entire intention in his parts of this chapter. Madara actually said something which inspired me! It made me hate him all the more as a character, but he makes one great plot device if nothing else.

I'm almost willing to place odds that some of you thought I was going to leave you hanging at Hinata's attempt to kiss Naruto...

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,871  
Story Page Count: 5.5


	7. Chapter 7

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* * *

**Lesson VII**

Naruto came to his senses when Sakura gently placed her hand on his shoulder and carefully emphasized each syllable of his name as she spoke it. He had to blink as he realized Hinata was gone. She ran away, and he couldn't make heads or tails of anything she said to him. He _knew_ she was talking, but his mind felt completely blank.

Naruto looked at Sakura with eyes almost pleading to understand. She wore a strangely warm smile as she grasped his hand and started walking towards the main hall. There was no point sticking around. She may not have heard all of Hinata's confession, but it was interesting to hear just how jealous the Hyuuga heir had grown. Sakura suppressed a smirk as she reminded Naruto of his promise, acting like she hadn't seen any of the previous events. "You promised me some sweets before escorting me home."

He nodded in response as he put on a mask of confidence. Inwardly, he was debating what just happened. _"Am I really that dense I never even noticed? What's worse…am I just being overly suspicious thinking Sakura-chan saw anything that happened? This is weird. I'd never…imagine…anything like this."_ His thoughts trailed off as he saw the footlockers.

Kiba was standing between the many rows of footlockers and the main entrance. He scratched the back of his head like he was confused about something before turning around and nearly dropping his jaw. He bit his thumb nervously before speaking up, like he was debating something. "Uh… Do any of you know why Hinata ran off so quickly?"

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other as they retrieved their shoes and put them. When they turned back to Kiba, Naruto was about to say something, but Sakura cut him off. "She probably has some important appointment to keep, or clan duties." She licked her lips as she watched for reactions to the last part. She hadn't forgotten about her suspicions from this morning, but she'd been so caught up in how interesting, and quite frankly fun, it all was that she, more or less, played along with the genjutsu.

Kiba scratched the back of his head. Naruto gave a sidelong glance. When the former sighed and chuckled, Sakura's eyes locked on him. He spoke as he walked to his footlocker to retrieve his shoes. "That father of hers can be a real stickler for tradition." Her eyes narrowed. She really wasn't sure what type of game was being played here, but the scenario seemed…surreal. As Kiba continued, he pulled out a leash. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Gotta get home before Kaa-san or Nee-chan string me up."

Naruto waved vigorously as he called out to his canine-like friend. "Hey! Tell Akamaru I said, 'Hi!'!" Sakura sighed as she pushed Naruto from behind. "Hurry! Hurry!" He laughed in reply and rushed for the door to hold it open for her. By the time they exited into the dusk air, Kiba was long gone. Sakura sighed as she walked with Naruto off the school grounds and wondered just where they would acquire these promised sweets.

It didn't take that long to get to what she guessed was a dango shop. She was surprised by the fragrance which immediately washed over her. There were a variety of sweets mixing with the bitterness of tea and coffee. It was a wonderful aroma, and she let a simple sigh pass her lips. Sakura sat down as Naruto ran up to the counter to place an order.

As she sat, she studied the architecture of the place. It was somewhat similar to what she was used to, but there were elements she just didn't recognize. Her face scrunched in thought. _"This place is a little…too detailed. It's odd having nothing familiar but being wrapped in nostalgia."_ Sakura stifled a sigh as she watched Naruto place a tray on the table.

She looked at the still steaming green tea and two skewers of dango in front of her. It seemed like less than she was expecting, especially considering who was sitting directly across from her. He smiled and scratched the back of his head as he picked on up and chomped a single dango off. When he swallowed and realized she hadn't touched one yet, he spoke up. "Don't want to spoil your meal. Your mother'd kill me!" She giggled, finally starting on her snack.

After their pit stop, Naruto walked Sakura straight home. As they rounded the gates, they nearly jumped seeing Sakura's mother standing in the open door. She wore a bright smile as she addressed them. "It's getting late. Naruto, would you like to join us for dinner? It's almost read." He chuckled nervously. "Nah, Baa-san would kill me if I were late for dinner!" He gave a quick bow. "See ya tomorrow Haruno-san!"

Naruto ran off, waving Sakura and her mother goodbye. For some reason, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and sigh. "Naruto will be Naruto." She turned to her mother who beckoned her inside. She stepped inside and closed the door, watching her mother enter the kitchen. With a sigh, she looked at the shoes to figure out if her father was home. "Kaa-san, is Tou-san going to be home for dinner?"

"Hnn?" Sakura almost sighed at her mother's response. She was about to ask the question again when the rest of the reply came. "No, Tou-san's going to be busy at work tonight. It's just the two of us." There was another pause as Sakura placed her backpack down at the foot of the stairs. "Then it's off to homework for you!" She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "…and Kaa-san will be Kaa-san."

Dinner at the Haruna household was uneventful. As Sakura lay in her bed, she didn't really feel like doing the homework her mother told her to do. She lay there looking at the picture she 'intercepted' from Kiba. It really was a cute photograph of Hinata, and she was curious why the loyal as a canine teammate of hers hasn't actually done anything like this.

With a sigh, she wonders just how big a threat this genjutsu really was. She didn't reveal anything the shinobi wouldn't already know to create an illusion to this degree. She was worried about the fact that she couldn't release the genjutsu under her own power. Before her thoughts could go very far, she started feeling an incredible urge to sleep. She fought it, but, eventually, her mind gave way to the darkness of sleep.

* * *

Hinata didn't really know what to expect as she tore past Kiba. He tried to stop her, but she ignored his concerned calls. She just wanted to leave. She ran as fast as she could through the courtyard and finally slowed to a walk as she rounded the corner created by Konoha Academy's main gate. Her breathing was heavy as she recollected on the most recent events.

Her mind worked backwards from when she nearly kissed Naruto. She shook off the blush as she continued to stroll along the sidewalk leading past Hanabi's school and towards home. She worked along her memory as she rewound through her confession, which brought a smile to her face, and the events between Naruto and Sakura in the science classroom. Her gaze was downcast as she walked past Hanabi's school.

Hinata stopped for a moment when she thought back on Sasuke walking past her towards the infirmary. Her face heated in anger, but she stopped on that memory for another reason. _"Naruto-kun seemed surprised by Sasuke's reaction to his question. What did he ask?"_ As she pondered this, she heard a familiar voice call her name. She stopped and turned around.

Neji and Tenten wore a smile as they caught up to Hinata. "Oh! Hello Neji-niisan. Hello Tenten-chan." Neji looked at her as if he caught something. "Is something the matter, itoko?" Upon hearing the question, Tenten looked at her with her own concern. Hinata quickly shook her head. "No. No, there's nothing wrong." She lied. She didn't want them finding out what she did. She felt guilty enough as it is.

Neji sighed and shook his head. "You've been acting weird since this morning." Hinata's eyes went wide as she remembered something else. Her day was so exciting she nearly forgot about her suspicions. Reminded of this morning, she calmed slightly. She hadn't given any vital information, but she still didn't know how her Byakugan had been blocked.

When worried glances from Tenten and her cousin told her she had delayed too long, she gave them a warm smile. "I promise there's nothing wrong. Maybe I'm a little tired, though." Again, she lied, but she didn't know what else to do. She happily discussed the day's events with her two companions on the way to the Hyuuga estate. For her part, Hinata purposely skipped over the parts happening after school ended. She made sure to indulge in questioning Neji and Tenten about their day.

Tenten said her farewells at the Hyuuga estate gates. Neji invited her for dinner. His excuse was something about forcing her to stay late to help him with some upcoming club activities. She apologized politely and mentioned something about an important family dinner. Hinata just giggled as she listened to the two make the longest goodbyes she'd yet to see between them.

Hinata and Neji were greeted by Hanabi as they entered the house. Hanabi and Neji quickly headed into the dining room, and Hinata took her time. She sat on the stairs and pulled a book out of her backpack to make it look like she was busy. She wanted the time to think. There were plenty of questions she had which didn't make sense to her.

Naruto and Sakura both seemed to know Sasame, but she was sure she'd never seen the orange-haired girl in Konoha before. Did they meet her on a mission, or was it part of some trick or trap set up for whatever she was experiencing? Neji was wary of something happening between Sakura and her when they met in front of the Academy, but Naruto and Sakura seemed surprised by his reaction. Was this significant?

While Hinata was trying to wrap her head around her quandaries, her father called from the portal connecting the hallway, where Hinata sat on the stairs pretending to read, and the dinning room, where a wonderful aroma wafted from. "Hinata, dinner's ready." She nodded and stood to acknowledge she heard and was coming. With a quick turn, he retreated back to the kitchen to retrieve the remaining dinner items.

Hinata was relieved when dinner didn't bring up the day's events again. She was glad to take her mind off her worries. After the quiet dinner, she withdrew to the sanctuary of her room. She lay in bed, turned on her side. Her lavender eyes gazed upon the full moon as she fought off sleep. She wanted to think more on the day's events while things were quiet and remained undisturbed. Sleep quickly won, however, as she drifted into peaceful slumber.

* * *

Naruto wasn't very fortunate upon arriving home. As he slowly turned the doorknob, it was suddenly wrested from his hands. He found himself gawking at a very agitated Tsunade. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped a foot against the hard floor. He scratched the back of his head and swallowed. "H-Hi, baa-san." He greeted her nervously as he tried taking a step into the house.

She immediately pelted the top of his head. "What time do you think it is?! It's getting late!" He walked past her nursing the bump on the top of his head. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice the bloodshot eyes, bruises, or scrapes. He froze as she slammed the door and continued to berate him. "And how many times to I have to tell you it's no baa-san?! I'd think you'd come up with something more respectful to call me by now."

Naruto merely nodded as he took off his shoes and placed his backpack on the floor. He knew Tsunade could probably drone on like this for a long time. He took a particularly long pause to mean she was done and started walking up the stairs. He was stopped when a strong hand grasped the back of his collar before he was twisted around by a second hand. He was brought face-to-face with a concerned looking Tsunade.

"What kind of mess did you get yourself into, this time?" He let out a sigh as he waved a hand dismissively to the side. "It's between men." She gave him the 'give me a break' look before rolling her eyes and letting him go. "Go get yourself washed up and come down for dinner." Naruto gave her a nod and rushed upstairs. Tsunade sighed. "Sometimes I wonder what goes through that boy's head."

* * *

Sasame was walking through Konoha Academy Middle School's halls towards the place she knew Sasuke would be. She wore a merry expression as she practically skipped towards the infirmary. She had been overjoyed to hear his proposition when he first approached her, and she couldn't decide which benefit she enjoyed most. She was offered both the chance to see Naruto again _and_ completely free the Fuuma clan from Orochimaru's demented experiments for, in her mind, no real loss.

As the door to the infirmary came into view, she picked up the faintest scent of blood. Her eyes narrowed as she flattened her back against the same wall as the infirmary. She slowly edged her way along the wall until she could peer through the entrance. When she only saw Sasuke and the red-headed doctor, she turned into the infirmary and looked around.

Sasuke still clutched his left shoulder. Sasame made out traces of dried blood. She noticed that the doctor merely looked winded. "What happened?" Sasuke heaved a heavy breath as he looked at the battered edge of Kusanagi. "I'm not sure _I_ want to know." The doctor cackled. "He messed with forces he was better off leaving alone." Sasuke gave the doctor an angry glare before turning to Sasame. "What happened?"

Sasame smiled as she leaned against the nearest wall. She took a quick glance outside. The sun set a while ago, and the full moon was rising in the sky. "I got Sakura-chan mad enough to chase me around, and Hinata-chan was left along with Naruto-senpai." She held the senior honorific for fun. She preferred something less formal, but she wanted to keep playing long.

Sasuke nodded. "I can't say things went quite according to plan." He eyed the doctor who was looking through the window. He wasn't ignoring them, but he had nothing to add on. Sasuke continued as he started to sheath Kusanagi. "However, I can say today's objectives have been obtained." Sasame nodded and watched as a slight ripple ran across the scenery. The doctor sighed.

Yawning, Sasame felt the urge to lie down and take a nap. She knew why, but she still fought the sleep to see if she were to be given orders. Kusanagi was more than halfway sheathed. "You can move closer to the village. You've fulfilled your end of the agreement, so you are free to do as you please. However, you will not discuss anything I have told you." Sasame nodded as she slid down the wall and wrapped her arms around her legs. Darkness overtook her vision as she fell into something similar to sleep.

* * *

A red-head vigorously shook a sleeping Sasuke as he seemed to tremor from what an untrained eye would see as night terrors. "Sasuke! Sasuke! It's okay! You're back!" Sasuke's eyes were wide open as his Mangekyu slowly morphed to the regular Sharingan, and the red disappeared from his irises as his eyes returned to normal. He closed his eyes as the chakra drain caught up to his body. He heard a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Karin." He opened his eyes to look at the kunoichi. Karin's eyes pinched shut in relief. She only opened her eyes when he placed his hand on her shoulder, and she gazed into his eyes as he issued his next order. "Status report."

* * *

This is where the fun begins! I wonder how many thought the climax had already passed. In case anybody was wondering, the fight scene in the last chapter was the weakest I ever wrote, and it was done that way on purpose. The girls were meant to _clearly _overpower Sasuke. I will be writing what I consider true fight scenes which will be much more interesting; though, I don't know that any more will actually appear in this fan-fiction. Until then, I'm just having fun with this story.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,712  
Story Page Count: 5


	8. Chapter 8

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* * *

**Lesson VIII**

A lone figure hid in the shadows of the old Uchiha district. He tried to keep the moonlight from illuminating his face as he peered around the corner. He sighed inwardly as he leaned against a wall to a random, abandoned building. _"I can't feel that strange chakra anymore. Well, if that's the case, I guess I have no other choice…"_ He closed his visible eye as he reached up to his hitai-ate and lifted it up to revealed a closed, scarred eye.

He took a deep breath and opened both eyes. His scarred eye revealed a Sharingan. Kakashi the Copy Ninja was on a mission in the Uchiha district. As a jonin and former ANBU, he was often called upon for delicate tasks. He wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for, but there seemed to have been a strange 'chakra pulse' coming from somewhere near where he was now for some time. He needed his transplanted Sharingan to perform a deeper scan of the area than his senses alone granted him.

_"I won't find anything else here. Time to move on."_ Once he was sure nobody was nearby, he focused chakra to his feet and took off as fast as he could. He wanted to find out who infiltrated the village. He was more than curious not only on the how but _what_ this person or group was doing. _"How come it's so hard to find them? With this much chakra, we should have been able to pinpoint their position in no time."_

Kakashi divided the old Uchiha district up into sectors before leaving for his mission. It was commissioned as a stealth-reconnaissance mission, so he was here to get in, find out what's going on, and get out. He already finished a sweep of five of the eight sectors, and he was heading to his sixth. The strange chakra pulse may have stopped, but there were still traces of it left. Before he got very far in the sixth sector, he sensed another presence and quickly hid himself in the shadows while suppressing his chakra as much as he could. _"This can't be good. Whoever it is nearly snuck up on me."_

* * *

* * *

Karin closed her eyes. After a second, she opened them and looked, worriedly, at Sasuke. "You were right. Konoha did discover us. It looks like one is already here, and he has the Sharingan. There's another heading this way. I sense Mokuton chakra." Sasuke sighed. "They sent Kakashi and Yamato. Makes sense. They don't know what they're dealing with, and I'm sure things are very sticky."

Karin nodded as a loud crash shook their attention to the front of the hidden meeting hall. She fell backwards onto her butt as Sasuke massaged a headache away. Suigetsu was holding a crazed Juugo at bay. The source of the cursed seal was already starting his transformation, and he was mumbling something about which gender was better to kill. All the while, he was punching Suigetsu hard enough for the swordsman to liquefy.

The swordsman growled as he reformed and brought his sword up to block the murderous man's lethal punch. "Any time would be nice!" He screamed to get attention, not caring if his voice reached outside the meeting hall. Sasuke sighed as he stood and strained to activate his Sharingan. As Suigetsu managed to push Juugo away, he stepped between the two allies and allowed his eyes to rotate. The beast managed to calm as chakra marks receded, and a human countenance returned.

Juugo's back hit the wall behind him, and he slid down while hiding his face in shame. When Sasuke's Mangekyu began fading, he suddenly became anxious. This anxiety somehow allowed his senses to expand to detect Kakashi as he entered the Uchiha district. "I'm sorry. I allowed my emotions to override your orders." He mumbled his apology. He hated his bloodlust.

Sasuke closed his eyes and scrunched his face. He knew he was completely worn, so he deactivated his Sharingan. He could only hope he wasn't forced to activate it again too soon. As he opened his eyes and regained his composure, he answered Juugo. "I had a feeling it would happen. I exhausted my chakra." He paused as he stifled a sigh and turned towards Karin. "Don't lose focus. Keep tabs on them."

Karin nodded as she returned to her concentration. She described everything she felt, and it was enough to give them a clear picture of what was going on even if they didn't know why. Kakashi and Yamato were moving away from the Uchiha district as fast as they could. They were expending large amounts of chakra to cross the distance outside of her range. She looked at Sasuke confused. "Why would they retreat?"

* * *

* * *

Kakashi managed to slip behind his would-be assailant, so he slid a kunai just over his throat threatening to slice it. "Don't move." He was dead serious as he let his killer intent leak. He was hoping this person wasn't responsible for the chakra he felt earlier and was sent to investigate. There was no telling how much of a reserve such an adversary had. What his would-be assailant said next surprised him.

With a quick chuckle, the unknown raised his hands in surrender. "It's just me, Kakashi-senpai." Kakashi knew only one person who called him that, and he sighed and rolled his eyes at this. Wanting to know why Yamato was here and honestly not wanting to kill him, he carefully withdrew his kunai and took several steps back. His junior turned around with that odd smile of his.

Kakashi looked serious as he returned his hitai-ate to its position, covering his scarred eye. "I'm here on an important mission, so this better be good." He wasn't one to leave a mission incomplete. He was often quoted for saying that those who broke the rules were trash. It was only later, thanks to his friend Obito, that he added on that those who abandoned their friends were by far worse. It was this addendum that kept his attention on Yamato.

The wood user continued his smile as he nodded. "It is good." He was sure Kakashi was listening, but he still paused for dramatic effect. He knew it irked the silver-haired jonin for how it reminded him of Gai; though, he never showed it. When Kakashi's only response was a glazed-over expression, Yamato continued. "As I'm sure you sensed, the chakra signature isn't nearly as strong. Whoever it was is sure to cover their tracks and retreat quickly. You've been summoned by Hokage-sama to discuss mission details."

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye. He was annoyed, not at the news or the Hokage. He was annoyed at his own inability to complete the mission in a timely fashion. He nodded to Yamato. "Let's go then." The focused chakra to their legs and took off at top speed. Kakashi only had one thought in mind. _"I hope those kids are okay."_

* * *

* * *

Tsunade held her hands over her eyes, palms open. She fought to keep the tears back. Ever since Jiraiya left for Whirlpool, she'd been having bad feelings. She was on an incredibly lucky streak, and a mug her perverted friend gave her cracked. The fact that an elder toad now sat in her office delivering a scroll to her to give a certain blond brat only added to her list of concerns.

"I know wha'cha thinkin', but Jii-san 'n' tha brat can handle 'emselves." The country accent of the elder toad held no reassuring words for the distraught 'princess' of Konoha. She'd lost too many people, and she didn't know what she'd do if she lost Jiraiya. He was as important to her as Naruto. Okay, he was probably less important, but he was still one of her precious people.

The sagely toad noted Tsunade fall deeper into despair. She shook her head as she continued. "Dun fret over 'at brat. He know what he gettin' 'imself inta." That's when she decided to point to the scroll she was sent to deliver along with her message. "'at's for da Jinchuuriki." She was caught off guard by the sudden killer intent given off by Tsunade.

The blond Hokage slammed her closed fist onto the hardened desk. If it weren't for recent reinforcements, it would have splintered and cracked under the chakra-infused punch. Past lessons were hard learned. "I don't want to hear anybody calling Naruto that! Hear me?!" The elder toad nodded her head as she gravely looked at the woman who quickly slumped back into her chair. "Don't die, Jiraiya."

The elder toad was about to speak up when she heard something coming towards the door and turned around. Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to Tsunade. "I think I overstayed ma welcome. Ya got guests now…" With that, she disappeared in a plume of smoke. As knocking came to the door, Tsunade straightened up and made herself as presentable as possible. She was nearly to tears as it was.

She took in a deep breath and exhaled it once certain her emotions were under control. She already knew who was at the door as she called out. "Come in." She berated herself at how ragged her voice sounded. Kakashi and Yamato stepped in to see a red-eyed Hokage with a heavy and chakra-laden scroll atop her desk. She sighed as she motioned for them to take a seat, to which they quickly accepted.

"Why did you recall my mission?" Kakashi was the first to speak up. Yamato and Tsunade could tell he wasn't mad, but he was concerned. It wasn't without reason. When no answer came, he closed his eyes and continued. "It was an important mission. I can't abandon my comrades. Besides, Hiashi-sama…"

Here, Tsunade interrupted him by holding a hand in the air. She looked to the door. "Well, speak of the devil. You can enter, Hiashi." Being the head of the Hyuuga clan and a former shinobi, the two jonin weren't surprised he was able to surpass his chakra so well. They looked to the door as the stoic man entered and offered a quick bow to Tsunade before gazing at the others in the room. "He did commission the mission, so he can change its conditions when and if necessary."

These words focused attention on the Hyuuga head. Once he had Kakashi and Yamato's attention, he cleared his throat to deliver the new mission objectives. "While it is unfortunate we couldn't discover the whereabouts of whoever orchestrated our dilemma, it seems to be over…" He paused as he watched relief wash over Kakashi. "…for the moment. The children do not appear to be harmed physically or mentally. Their chakra coils also appear to be in perfect condition."

Kakashi decided to interrupt. He was obviously relieved, but he now had more questions than answers. "Hokage-sama says you're here to deliver new mission objectives?" Hiashi nods. With a sigh, the silver-haired jonin continued. "Pardon, Hiashi-sama, but shouldn't our mission objective remain the same? We need to find the perpetrator and prevent this from happening again."

Hiashi nodded. "To this, I can agree." When it looked like Kakashi was going to jump in again, he quickly signaled him to stop. "At the same time, we do not know what this jutsu has done. While the children may seem fine upon initial observation, there is the possibility that they were brainwashed. We need to put them under immediate observation while being prepared to move out should the perpetrator attempt an attack…or another use of this jutsu."

While he hated to admit it, Kakashi knew he was right. It couldn't be a coincidence concerning who was targeted. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to think. This action was calculating enough to be Danzo's doing, but it…lacked that grotesque nostalgia of that old war hawk. It was almost certainly not Akatsuki. According to Jiraiya's latest information, they decided against direct action against Naruto, for the time being, in favor of acquiring information on the only other remaining Jinchuuriki.

Hiashi couldn't hide the small smile when Kakashi let realization sink in. It wasn't arrogance; he was happy they had reached an understanding. He cleared his throat to continue. "That said; I have commissioned three teams. I will have Tsunade-hime explain the details." He inwardly chuckled at the glower he received from the 'princess' of Konoha. She detested that nickname.

Nonetheless, Tsunade let out a sigh as she did what was necessary. "I am classifying this an A-rank mission. We are dealing with unknown, powerful shinobi. Neji, you may enter." All eyes fell to the door as the mentioned jonin entered. He gave Hiashi a polite nod as he took his place beside his uncle. Tsunade nodded before continuing. "Kakashi, Yamato, and Neji will each lead a team on this mission."

* * *

* * *

The moon was still in the sky as a presence woke her from her slumber. The pink haired kunoichi awoke with a start. She held her bed sheets to her form as she shot to a seated position; though, she knew her nightgown would cover her. _"Wait? When did I slip into my nightgown?"_ Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed a shadowy figure crouching in her window.

Sakura's face was ablaze as murderous thoughts ran through her head. Instinctively, she reached under her pillow for a sharp instrument of doom, a kunai. She flung it towards the window with fervor only to see it expertly caught; a finger carefully wove its way into the ring of the kunai. She bellowed in disgust. "Pervert!" She heard a light chuckle in response, and she recognized the voice.

She concentrated on the shadowy figure, and soon moonlight illuminated his features. She sighed in relief as Kakashi came into view. Then her eyes went wide as she realized she just threw a kunai…and could feel her chakra! She looked at her hands, inadvertently dropping her bed sheets. Kakashi noticed this and climbed into her room before standing against the wall just to its right. He motioned for his team to approach the window.

That move was a mistake as Sakura quickly turned beet red and started throwing random objects, especially various implements of doom, at Kakashi, Choji, and Shikamaru. The only one spared her wrath was the only female, Ino. The blond kunoichi sighed as she slipped in, shaking her head at her friend. "It's not like they were peeping. We're here on a mission."

Sakura huffed as she marched to her window and drew the blinds. "I know, but they can at least give a girl some privacy!" Her cheeks were still flushed as Ino giggled. Sakura wasted no time getting to her closet and started to change. She waited for her anger to subside, and be fully clothed, before trusting her voice enough to speak. As she stepped back into view, she opened the blinds and looked at the mildly irate boys. Ino couldn't help but giggle as Sakura asked the obvious question. "What's this mission about?"

* * *

* * *

The sudden light drowned the sleeping girl's dreams as she slowly started to sit up in her bed. Her eyes still closed, she turned to rest her feet against the hardwood floor. Her senses were still in a lull, so it took her those long moments to finally recognize that familiar feeling. Her lavender eyes flew open as she started scanning the room for whoever bore an active Byakugan. Hinata's eyes quickly fell on her father, and she looked at him with concern and confusion. He never invaded her personal space like this.

"Activate your Byakugan." Hiashi's commanding tone surprised her, but she complied. After a moment, he nodded his head and returned his eyes to normal. Hinata quickly followed suit. She still wore a confused expression. Hiashi knocked on her door three times, and action she found stranger still. With that, the door opened and three figures walked in. She blinked and tilted her head in further confusion as Neji, Tenten, and Lee entered.

"T-Tou-san, w-what's this?" She looked from Neji to Tenten to Lee. She suddenly became self-aware and started pulling her covers over her shoulders. Their eyes, however, were locked on hers. She was just self-conscious, and the long silence was making her nervous. When Neji approached and bent down slightly to look at her eye-level, she started to blush. It wasn't the blush reserved for Naruto, but she was still embarrassed.

Hiashi cleared his throat, and all attention quickly centered on him. "While asleep last night, an unidentified jutsu caused Hinata to experience an extended period of REM sleep. Until the perpetrator is caught or my choujo deemed safe and unharmed, you are to observe and protect her. Neji, what is your initial analysis?" In the back of his mind, Hiashi registered the look on his eldest daughter's face. She was stunned, worried, and embarrassed.

* * *

* * *

The loud knocking at the door wasn't going away, and it only seemed to get louder the harder he tried to drown it out. He tried shifting in bed. That didn't work. He tried covering his head with his pillow. That didn't work. After several failed attempts to get the door to shut up, the blond boy with disheveled, spiky hair sat up in bed and scratched his rear-end. With a glazed expression, he groggily walked towards his door in boxer shorts and a white, sleeveless T-shirt. He opened the door to see a scary-faced Yamato, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

* * *

I think I enjoyed this chapter too much... More than likely, I will _never_ use a 'country bumpkin' accent, again (as if I'll be that lucky...). It's too difficult to write...and I live around it everyday! I honestly hate trying to force myself to think in bad grammar... At the same time, it allows for set-up.

**EDIT:** I have been corrected on the spelling of a very important character's name. Thank you!

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,926  
Story Page Count: 5.5


	9. Chapter 9

TimeShifter: That's my bad. As you can hopefully see, I fixed that and shouldn't be making that mistake in the future. As for Naruto not noticing that he was in an illusion...has he ever really been that good with genjutsu? Trust me though, these facts will be expanded upon as the story draws to a close.

* * *

**Lesson IX**

Sakura glared at the Ino-Shika-Cho plus Kakashi team now occupying her room. They explained the details of the mission, and she was certain she didn't like it. With a long sigh, she finally broke the silence to comment on what she'd been told. "You expect me to believe that some strange chakra laced its way across half the village to envelop not one but _three_ powerful shinobi and one unknown while we slept?" When she received a nod from Kakashi, she could already feel the headache coming.

Sakura rubbed her temples as she tried to figure out just who would, let alone could, do something like this. The fact that the chakra originated from the Uchiha district offered little evidence. It wasn't the best guarded district in Konoha, and it remained unoccupied since Itachi all but eliminated the clan. The surprises weren't about to end there.

Kakashi let his visible eye curl into his lazy smile. "The chakra actually centered at Naruto then stretched out to you and Hinata and out of the village." He watched Sakura stop her thought processes to look at him wide-eyed. Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru turned their attention to the elite jonin. They didn't have all the information just yet. Kakashi continued with a sigh as a serious, if lazy, look took to his features. "Hiashi-sama noticed it first. He thought somebody was about to kidnap Hinata, so he burst into her room expecting the worst."

Kakashi saw, pretty much, what he expected. The four friends hung their head and barely contained their anger. After the fight between Naruto and Neji during the chunin exams three years ago, they all came to a realization about the darker history between Konoha and Kumo. He didn't allow the silence to become awkward. "He was pleasantly surprised to see that was not the case, but he had other problems to deal with. After he activated his kekkei genkai, the Byakugan noticed something out of the ordinary."

* * *

"Close inspection reveals no abnormalities, Hiashi-sama. I believe she has suffered no nervous damage." Neji watched the relieved expression wash over his uncle's face even as his muscles relaxed. Hiashi also let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The stoic man nodded for his nephew to continue. "I don't believe she was brainwashed. However…" He paused as he nervously scratched his chin.

This action didn't go without notice. Tenten quickly placed a concerned hand on the young jonin's shoulder. Lee watched this for a moment before turning to Hiashi. He managed to restrain his normally…boisterous voice, much to the relief of everybody present. "Hiashi-sama, we were told of how you valiantly came to your choujo's aid. How is it that we are needed? It is obvious the flames of youth have protected her."

Neji and Tenten barely restrained their anger as they felt veins popping. If there was one thing they hated about the spandex-clones, it was their constant use of 'flames of youth' in any way they could mutter it. Hiashi, for his part, merely drew a deep breath. "It is obvious that some high-level jutsu was utilized against my choujo. It caused her to experience an extended REM cycle in her sleep, a dangerously long one."

Neji narrowed his eyes. He knew the implications. Hyuuga had notoriously shorter REM cycles than others, but they also experience many more throughout the night. According to some of Tsunade's physiological reports, this fact could be due to the strain the Byakugan put on the nervous system, so a greater number of shorter REM cycles were needed to repair the damage caused. Neji now had a question he knew his uncle would normally avoid answering because the length of an individual REM cycle seemed to indicate the relative strength of any individual Byakugan. "How long was this extended cycle, Hiashi-sama?"

The head of the Hyuuga clan gritted his teeth. If it wasn't information vital to accomplishing this mission, he would never allow such private information to cross his lips. He bit back his pride before answering, first, with an order. "You must give your word as a shinobi that what I am about to tell you not be transmitted to anybody, except the Hokage." He added the last part knowing they would be debriefed and such information would be necessary to relay. When he received nods, he continued. "She experienced what would be a normal cycle for anybody else, thirty minutes." Neji and Hinata gasped, knowing the implications.

* * *

Yamato laughed at Naruto's expense as the angry genin struggled to get his anger in check. If the blond didn't startle so easily, the ANBU captain wouldn't have nearly as much fun. Calming himself, he cleared his throat to get the young shinobi's attention. "Naruto, as much as I'd like to simply exchange pleasantries, we're here on an important mission. Mind inviting us in?"

Naruto had one question for himself. _"Did he just say 'us'?"_ In order to answer his question, he leaned to one side to peer around Yamato. His vision blurred in trepidation as he saw Kiba, Shino, and Sai. He stepped aside to let them file in. Kiba grinned and gave him a quick, if playful, jab to the ribs. With a sigh, he turned to the rather odd group with the second question on his mind. "Where's Akamaru?"

As if to answer his question, a giant woof came from down the hall. Kiba filled in the details. "They make the hallways here way too small! Poor Akamaru couldn't fit in here, so he's standing watch." He flashed his toothy grin before flopping down on the lone sofa in front of Naruto's television. "Yo! You gonna explain why we're here to the knucklehead?" Naruto sighed at the playful nickname his friends decided to keep for him.

Yamato grunted an affirmative with a nod as he leaned against the wall nearest the door. He wanted plenty of warning of unwanted…visitors. He noticed Sai covering the door to Naruto's room and, therefore, the window in there. Shino did the same to cover the small kitchen. He spoke only when he was sure the small apartment was secure enough. "First, did you experience anything strange tonight, Naruto?"

Naruto gave Yamato a look that screamed the question occupying his mind. _"What are you talking about Yamato-taichou?"_ Nevertheless, he sighed and entered the pose his friends called his 'thoughtful' pose. He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head to one side. "Not really, I just had my normal dreams…except…" He paused as he wondered if that even constituted being called strange. If what he'd once read about dreams was true, did that mean he liked Hinata in that way? He was sure she didn't.

"Naruto!" The blond genin was brought out of his reverie when Yamato suddenly called his name. As he looked at the ANBU captain, he noted the slight annoyance in his expression as he sighed. "Don't just blank out. You were saying…? Don't leave anything out!" Naruto and Kiba nearly jumped when Yamato became stern and put on his scary, serious face. Sai merely smiled from across the room. Shino didn't move.

"S-Sure…" Naruto nervously muttered as he composed himself. He always wondered how this man could be so scary. He drew a deep breath as he concentrated on the dream. "Like I said, the dream was normal. Just some weird stuff happened." He thought nothing of Sakura being a little off when he arrived at her house. That could be explained by spoiled milk or some other bad food stuffs before going to sleep. No, there were other odd occurrences.

He didn't go into detail. Telling the whole dream would take hours. Yamato would kill him if he went that deep, and he knew it. He kept things to what was strange. The first meeting with Hinata and Neji that 'morning' topped his list. He had no idea why Neji would be so hostile towards Sakura… Kiba barely bit back his laughter at that point, and Shino fought back a smirk. Yamato openly wore an amused smirk, while Sai continued to ignorantly smile.

Kiba broke out into a raucous laughter, however, when Naruto retold the events at the lunch in his dreams. Shino shook lightly like he wanted to display emotion, but he easily restrained it. Yamato cleared his throat to get everybody back on track, but Sai wore a genuinely confused expression. Naruto glared daggers at Kiba as he mentioned Sasame because he felt indignant about the outburst.

Kiba noticed the intense glower from Naruto and gave him a canine, toothy grin. Naruto ignored it as he related his scuffle with Sasuke. He rolled his eyes at the snigger he received from Kiba. He felt he should have expected that. He paused for a full minute, an uncomfortable silence permeating the small apartment. Yamato, Shino, and Kiba recognized Naruto's nervousness. They just didn't know why.

They were surprised when his cheeks flushed before he cleared his throat to continue. He quickly mentioned Sakura cleaning him up…and kissing. He was somewhat surprised to hear Kiba growl. Blinking that off, he mentioned having a conversation with Hinata; though, he was hesitant in talking about it. He said the dream was pretty normal from that point, except that Hinata seemed to run right past Kiba on her way out of the school leaving him confused.

Kiba gave Naruto a glower. He already heard the charka 'enveloped' Sakura, Hinata, and an unknown as well as the blond genin. Something in the story didn't add up. He nearly barked his thoughts at his friend. "Why would Hinata run away like that if you just had a conversation?" He noticed Naruto cringe and smirked. He wasn't getting away that easily. Kiba settled his expression into a sly grin. "She told'ja; didn't she?" He knew he pushed the right button when Naruto froze.

* * *

Tsunade looked at the scroll the old toad left for her. Jiraiya actually used _that_ technique. She fought to keep back the tears when she noticed Shizune enter with a tray and tea. She quickly straightened up and attempted to hide her fresh tears. The visit from the old toad, despite her reassurances, left her shaken as to the wellbeing of her perverted friend. The young woman knew the sannin well enough to notice the turmoil in her mind. She quickly took in the surroundings, but the only things which were off were the cracked mug Jiraiya gave her as a present and strange, new scroll.

"Tsunade-sama, I brought some tea." Shizune frowned when the only answer was a brief nod. She quickly plastered a smile back on her face as she walked straight to the Hokage's desk and placed the tea cups down before filling them with steaming green tea. She took an interest in the scroll. It had markings she'd never seen before, but she knew them to be seals. Based on how intricate they were, she only knew of two people capable of it, and one was most certainly dead. "Did Jiraiya send this?"

Tsunade flinched before closing her eyes as tightly as she could. She felt tears bite at her eyes and try to force themselves out. She nodded, knowing that wouldn't satisfy the question. With a shattered breath, she solemnly spoke to her first apprentice. "That pervert sent this for me to give to the brat, and he sent one of his toads to tell us what's happening in Rain." Shizune nodded at the explanation, but her eyes begged for more. Tsunade gave it to her. "The Fourth created this scroll with his dieing breath."

* * *

Sakura crossed her arms and closed her eyes. She had a tendency to do this when she had puzzle pieces presented before her to try to piece together. When she opened her eyes, she looked at everybody present. Maybe she didn't have enough information. With that thought, she started her recreation of whatever she experienced with a stunning revelation. "That half-hour you were trying to figure out what was happening…was a full day, sixteen hours I'm sure, in something I thought was a genjutsu."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes before crossing his legs under him and cupping his hands together into a ball. Sakura knew she caught his interest. Ino and Choji showed signs of curiosity, but this wasn't within their normal skill set. Kakashi wore a bored expression as he awaited the kunoichi to continue her story. "I thought it was a genjutsu at first, so I tried to release it. The thing the struck me most, though, was the level of detail. My hair was longer, and my scars were absent. I knew of no genjutsu capable of this level of detail."

She watched the nods around the room. She knew she was onto something. Either this wasn't a genjutsu, or the caster had multiple layers and redundancies to protect it. "There were things that didn't fit or match." She gave Ino a look with an obvious statement. _"Don't interrupt."_ Confused, she nodded in agreement. Sakura continued. "Naruto and I were dating, Sasuke was cruel, and Fuuma Sasame was there." She took a quick glance the gaping mouths of those present. Even Kakashi seemed slack-jawed under his mask.

Sakura sighed. "I'm going to guess that what you told me means, at least, Naruto, Hinata, and I shared this…dream." She couldn't think of a more appropriate word. "I don't know what was meant to be accomplished, but one positive thing came out of it." She watched as Ino and Choji leaned forward while Shikamaru mumbled about something being 'troublesome'. Kakashi regained his usual composure. Sakura smirked before she said something which sent shock through their systems. "Hinata confessed to Naruto."

* * *

Tenten and Lee looked at Neji and Hiashi with quite a bit more than confusion in their expressions. The stoic Hyuuga head sighed. This clan secret wasn't one he wanted to divulge. He might consider revealing it to somebody marrying into the clan, but it was out of the question for Tenten or Lee at the moment. "All I can say is that the extended REM cycle was dangerous and cause enough for concern, but it is more important that she is perfectly safe." The nods he received told him they could agree on that point.

"U-Uhn…" All eyes fell on Hinata as she tried to speak up. Her eyes quickly started darting back and forth, embarrassed that so many were in her room…while she was still in her nightgown. Tenten blinked as she noticed what the girl must mean and started turning the boys around. "I-I'll meet you in t-the study…" To this, Hiashi nodded and lead the guests out of his daughter's room.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief as her door closed and climbed out of bed. She was glad she had the chance to change, but she was still embarrassed. It didn't take her long to change into the formal clothes of the Hyuuga and walk to the study where her father and seniors were waiting. As soon as she entered, Hiashi motioned for her to sit next to him. For the briefest of moments, he flashed her a reassuring smile. "Why don't you tell us what you experienced?"

Hinata already guessed what her father meant by that. She wondered if Naruto would guess the same. She looked down at the table while fidgeting with her digits. "I-I guess N-Naruto-kun and S-Sakura were in the dream with me?" She saw her father nod out of the corner of her eye. "There w-was also a gi-girl I never saw before. N-Naruto-kun called her S-Sasame-chan." The distraught was obvious in her voice. The girl _was_ hanging all over _her_ Naruto after all, and the jealousy still pervaded her mind with such, to her, perverse thoughts of owning Naruto's heart.

She quietly related a few events to those assigned this mission plus Hiashi. Neji raised a knowing brow when he heard he was hostile towards Sakura. He even guessed what he would say without Hinata having to say anything. Tenten smirked at the thoughts running through her head about his reaction, and Lee seemed to have flames burning in his eyes… Hinata didn't have nearly as much to relate as all present thought. She was rather detailed about the fight between Naruto and Sasuke, even tearing up. All present knew why; though, they never made it obvious.

It wasn't until Neji and Hiashi noticed Hinata gloss over Sakura treating Naruto's wounds, the ensuing escapades between Sakura and Sasame, and a, as she put it, innocent conversation between her and Naruto that the young jonin, Neji, spoke up. "Hinata-sama, are you hiding something that happened between you and Naruto?" The tone of his voice didn't hide his disgust in a lie being floated. It also had a gentle feel as if to tell Hinata it was okay to share what was on her heart and mind.

* * *

The leaders of each team decided on a similar course of action at about the same time. Kakashi was the first to arrive with his team and Sakura in tow. Neji arrived next with his team, Hiashi, and Hinata. The last to arrive was Yamato with his team and Naruto. Tsunade wasn't surprised to see the three teams and targets plus Hiashi arrive. They were told to report for debriefing as soon as it was safe to bring the targets. She narrowed her eyes at the team leaders. "Report!"

* * *

Now I have to deal with Sai and Lee... There's no way around it. Anyway, I noticed I wrote that Jiraiya went on a mission to Whirlpool. This was my mistake, as I'm sure many of you should notice with this update and last. He was actually in Rain when he was forced to use Hermit Mode to fight Pein (or Pain?). It has no bearing on the story at present except to set up possible future fan-fictions from me. Just so ya know.

I had a small bout of writer's block with this one, but that can be completely blamed on the continued downward spiral Sasuke is presenting to the _Naruto_ story. I swear if it didn't give me ideas from time to time I'd just wrap up this story and call it quits...unless enough reviews told me continuing would be good.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,914  
Story Page Count: 5.5


	10. Chapter 10

TimeShifter: Yamamoto is awesome! On a serious note, I just messed up. For some reason, I thought I read his name as what I mistakingly wrote. Kakashi was recalled from inspecting the Uchiha district, but that doesn't mean nobody is there now. The obvious reason being the kids' well being is more important than the immediate discovery of the perpetrator. This idea, again, will be explained in this chapter (or later). I didn't want Sasuke or Eagle in the last chapter. I was just too disgruntled with the turn of events in the _Naruto_ manga.

Ceridwen Inari: As much as I love Tenten, she has no bearing on the previous chapters of the story. I also stated, in Chapter 2, that I only _partially_ choose them for lack of screen time. There are others I'd love to write in, like Kurenai or Anko. I can't just include a character because I want to. They have to fit the situation and/or events. In the words of Kakashi, "You must see beneath the beneath."

* * *

**Lesson X**

_"She told'ja; didn't she?"_ Kiba's words replayed through Naruto's mind. He didn't even hear the conversations going on around him. He stole a few glances towards Hinata, which didn't go unnoticed by the other kunoichi in the Hokage's office. Kiba went on to tease him in a similar manner as in his dream, except, this time, he spoke of what should have been so obvious. If it weren't for a few calculated words from Shino, Naruto would have sworn the boy found everything a little too humorous.

* * *

Kiba nearly rolled off the couch in his roaring laughter. He sat up and wiped a tear from his eye as he took in Naruto's frozen state. With a knowing glance to Shino, he could tell the bug specialist was doing all he could to keep from joining him in his mirth. They were watching Naruto, after all, at his most vulnerable in what should have been his safest sanctuary, his own home.

"You gotta look at yourself, knucklehead!" Kiba's words were laced with laughter. Naruto nearly growled. "I can't believe it! You actually didn't notice it?! You really are dense!" He rolled into laughter again. Naruto looked like a fish out of water, and Kiba was loving every moment of it.

"She has been quite enamored with you for a while." Shino restrained himself well. His voice only cracked slightly at the humor he found in Naruto's predicament. Kiba only broke out in a new round of laughter as Naruto's mouth hung agape. Shino held a smirk back before he continued. "You must have noticed how she blushes and stutters more around you than others."

Naruto may have been surprised by Shino's robust use of words, but it was probably better to hear it from the bug tamer than the mirthful canine tamer. He stood in shock. _"Hinata can't… She's a Hyuuga… She's like…a princess!"_ He was looking more and more distressed as he thought about it.

Yamato probably would have let things carry on, having a few chuckles himself, if it weren't for pressing matters. Naruto was perfectly fine, so they needed to get to the Hokage. He cleared his throat and ordered them to move out. Naruto, however, didn't budge. He didn't even seem to hear the orders, so Yamato had to drag the boy in a state of shellshock.

* * *

Tsunade followed the gazes Sakura, Ino, and Tenten were giving each other. There was something strange going on, but she had a feeling she would have the chance to find out soon enough. For now, she listened to the report from Hiashi and the team leaders. Things didn't feel right, and the ANBU teams didn't turn up anything. She had the distinct feeling they were dealing with somebody who know Konoha well, too well.

Tsunade sighed as she was relieved things weren't as serious as she feared. The children weren't harmed by the most unusual technique. They had no damage to their physical, neurological, or chakra structures. With the team debriefing completed, she turned her gaze to Naruto then Sakura and finally Hinata. "I want to hear what happened in this 'dream' the team leaders described." She had to raise a brow as Naruto and Hinata blushed and looked away from her, in opposite directions at that.

Sakura only beamed, giving Ino and Tenten a knowing look. This action gave Tsunade another surprise. She was about to speak up when her pink-haired apprentice started. "First, I suspect the fourth individual drawn in by the jutsu was Sasame of the Fuuma clan." She wasn't surprised to see the Hokage taken aback. The Fuuma related to the first mission she sent Jiraiya as team captain to Naruto and Sakura, into Rice.

"Fuuma… You mean from three years ago?" Tsunade watched Sakura nod to her question. She leaned back in her chair as she furrowed her brow. _"Why now?"_ With a deep breath, she sat straight up again only to see a bright grin on the faces of Sakura, Ino, and Tenten. Her vision blurred in annoyance before she asked the obvious. "What's got you three grinning like idiots?"

"Oh, nothing Hokage-sama!" She jerked her head back at the chorus response. When Naruto and Hinata shared a similar response of turning a shade redder, a knowing smirk finally crossed Tsunade's expression. The females, minus Hinata, shared the same thought at that moment. They were going to have so much _fun_ with this.

Judging from the chuckles from Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru, the boys may be thinking the same thing. Even Shino seemed to be having some sort of reaction; though, his was as hard to read as ever. Sai was grinning like an idiot, ignorant of what was going on. From what Tsunade could tell, Lee had…fire in his eyes and fist raised. She could have sworn he was mumbling something about 'fires of youth', for which she'd have to punch Gai later. Kakashi and Yamato were grinning like idiots, obviously for similar reasons to Naruto's longer-standing friends. She just couldn't read Hiashi, which disturbed her.

Tsunade quickly dismissed her thoughts and appraisals for the matter at hand. She clapped her hands to make sure everybody focused their attention on her. "Alright, that's enough of that." She almost sighed. Ino, as always, took the longest to calm down. Tsunade had to fight a smirk as she continued. "You can continue, Sakura. After which, I expect Hinata and Naruto to share a brief description with us." Yes, teasing the young man aiming to be the next Hokage was going to be a blast!

* * *

As Sasuke and the rest of his team, Eagle, reached the valley made famous by Hashirama of the Senju clan's fight with Madara of the Uchiha clan. He landed, and he did his best to hide his chakra exhaustion. Karin could tell with her advanced chakra senses, but neither Juugo nor Suigetsu were able to see through his mask. The three were wondering what brought the Uchiha prodigy out here.

"I fought Naruto here." They looked at their leader as he spoke up. "I called him a true friend. No, more than that. I called him a true brother." Karin gave him a curious look while Juugo and Suigetsu were just confused. When they felt a sudden presence, all but Sasuke turned with kunai drawn.

"This seems like an unnecessarily convoluted plan." The members of Eagle visibly relaxed as they recognized Madara. He spoke through that orange-spiral mask of his, and his Sharingan was easily visible through the one eye hole. "You were just _in_ Konoha, yet you didn't fulfill the one objective you created Eagle for." He gave a short pause. "Why?" It was obvious the supposedly dead Uchiha was perplexed by the tone of his voice.

Sasuke laughed, not even turning to face his elder. "Isn't that what we Uchiha do?" Madara tilted his head forward in annoyance, but he was interrupted before he could response as the confident Sasuke merely glanced over his shoulder to continue. "You revive from the dead to start capturing bijuu under the guise of the Akatsuki lead by a faux leader. Itachi annihilates his own clan to punish them and make his little brother stronger."

Madara's cloth swayed slightly, and Suigetsu quickly wrapped his hands around the grip of his sword. There were tense moments as Madara kept his Sharingan focused on the Mist renegade. He knew he could take on Eagle with little trouble; though, he had some doubts when it came to Sasuke. He cleared his throat as he stood straight. "I merely observed that you stated Eagle's only purpose was Konoha's destruction."

Sasuke turned to face Madara, Sharingan completely absent from his eyes. Even without chakra exhaustion, he wasn't about to call it up. "I have a personal ambition. I will revive the Uchiha clan." He watched the reactions of both Eagle and Madara. He wasn't surprised to see the knowing smirk Karin wore. "I had a small victory on that front today. I'm already moving towards Konoha's destruction, but I shan't allow that to interfere with my personal ambition."

Madara seemed satisfied with that as he disappeared from view. Karin watched with a grin before turning to her leader and very apparent crush. "I see… Are you thinking about _that_ research?" Sasuke turned his back on her and leapt away, forcing the rest of Eagle to follow after him. Her smirk broadened at the implied answer through visual cues. _"He can be so devilish when he wants to. He's actually moving ahead with that plan…"_

* * *

Unlike Kiba, Tsunade was trying her best not to break out into raucous laughter. She barely restrained slapping her knees to tapping her desk. Naruto just told them _why_ he originally started having these dreams and when they started. It was sad, but it was hilarious all the same. It didn't help that the situations unfolded as they did once Naruto's dream was invaded by the three girls known as Sakura, Hinata, and Sasame.

Naruto started having these dreams shortly after a certain drama came to television. It was about school life; though, it was no school life shinobi knew. Half the stuff in the drama was dreamt up by some team of artists nobody in the known nations had ever seen. There was also the fact that he could replicate it to such vivid detail! The part that struck as sad, especially to those who knew about the Kyuubi, was how the dreams were an escape for him. They helped him dream of what a 'normal' life would be like, with lots of friends and acceptance.

No, it was hilarious for a number of reasons. Despite Naruto's insistence that Sakura was his girlfriend in his dreams under normal circumstances, the latest dream seemed much more realistic based on his friends' personalities. To Tsunade, it seemed Kiba took up a large roll in this shared dream to…encourage a certain shy princess and other dense knucklehead.

She might have broken into laughter if it weren't for the sudden presence of two ANBU…plus guest. She turned to her side to see Hawk and Bear, nicknamed for their masks, holding an orange-haired girl. Though obviously restraining her, she wasn't resisting. In fact, she was smiling at a certain blond genin, and Tsunade was quickly able to guess who she was.

"Fuuma Sasame, I take it?" The girl nodded, and Tsunade waved the ANBU off. They bowed before stepping and fading into the shadows. Their presence couldn't be felt, but everybody knew they were still there. Tsunade turned her full attention to the girl as she asked the question on everybody's mind. "What are you doing here?"

Sasame smiled and pointed at the boy she was staring at, Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto." With few exceptions in Shino, Hinata, and Hiashi, the room was filled with people slapping their palms against their heads. Sasame was so giddy at seeing Naruto; they might have seen that coming. They just never expected such a simple answer. Her constant staring was also causing a reaction to certain people. Naruto blushed, Hinata bit her lower lip, and Sakura fumed.

Kakashi and Yamato instinctively tensed when Sasame moved closer to Tsunade and leaned over to whisper in her ear. Kiba and Shino couldn't help but listen in. For once, their roles in expressions changed. Kiba restrained himself, and Shino allowed a smirk to very gently cross his lips. In the end, neither could be read. Sasame still wore her bright smile as she turned to face the rather large crowd.

Tsunade cleared her throat. She looked to Kakashi and Yamato. She wanted them to run interference for her, so she had to get her meaning across clearly though hidden. "I'll need to talk to the client and targets for a moment. Team Leaders…" Though also speaking of Neji, she only eyed the elder two. "…discuss plans for how to best guard four targets instead of the original three and wait for word from Shizune."

Neji hesitated for a moment. He wanted to know what Sasame told Tsunade; he figured it was important to the mission. He had suspicions based on the looks the Hokage was giving. However, he and everybody else, save who Tsunade mentioned plus Sasame, were quickly ushered out by Kakashi and Yamato. Neji and others shared a similar thought. _"Suspicious…"_

When the room was cleared, Tsunade waved her hand. The ANBU hiding in the shadows quickly exited the room. Though they kept tabs for killing intent and chakra spikes, they knew not to listen in. She turned to Sasame with a stony gaze. "Where did you find out about that?"

Sasame turned on her heels to look at Hinata and Hiashi. She didn't spare a glance towards Sakura. She was told who knew and didn't know about Naruto's secret. She also heard about the adult response to it. "Are you sure you want them to stay?"

Tsunade felt like a vein was going to pop. "Don't avoid the question!" She stood and nearly slammed her fists against her desk. If she didn't control herself, the ANBU would rush in from her chakra and killing intent. She quickly calmed and smoothed out her robes before sitting down. She slowly repeated her question. "Where did you find out about that?"

Sasame sighed. "I'd tell you if I could." She watched the glower from Tsunade. "Honest! I don't want to lie to you or Naruto-kun." She got a raised eyebrow in response. "I was forced to promise not to, then my lips sealed. Your best interrogation squad won't be able to do anything." She hoped her honestly was being received.

Tsunade sighed. She sensed neither malicious intent nor lies. "I am surprised by your question, though." She didn't say it out loud, but she was surprised that Sasame first practically begged for Hinata to stay then asked if she was sure of that decision. She turned to face Naruto. With a heavy sigh, she really didn't know how to say what was coming. With Hinata in the room, things were just harder. "Naruto, she knows."

Hinata didn't know what it meant, but she didn't miss as the tension rose in the room. Naruto was tense and wide-eyed. Sakura covered barely visible scars with one hand as she put her weight onto the opposite leg. Hiashi, of all things, visibly flinched. She looked at each person in turn, then finally to Naruto. "Wha-What's going on?"

Naruto was the visibly most shaken. He looked between Sasame and Tsunade. He had no idea how the orange-haired girl learned about his secret. He knew he didn't mention it to her or any other member of the Fuuma clan. He wasn't comfortable with the subject around his friends, constantly worried it would drive a permanent wedge between them. "Baa-san…"

Tsunade was surprised he stayed quiet as long as he did. She smirked slightly as she shook her head. "Won't you ever learn it's Hokage-sama? You really are a pain." She noticed his eyes shifting as he looked, intently, at the ground. "Listen, Naruto… There's going to be a time you'll have to tell your friends. Besides…" She looked at Hiashi and received a nod.

She allowed a broad grin to cover her expression. It was time to start having some fun. As solemn as it seemed, Naruto was underestimating his friends. "…Hinata-_chan_ should be the least of your concerns." Her eyes lit up at the priceless expressions. Naruto and Hinata both went pale, and she imagined the very divergent reasons.

Naruto's eyes were probably as wide as they could be as he stammered out a response. "No…I mean… Hinata-cha… It's not tha… What I mean is…" He paused as he took a deep breath. "Baa-san, this isn't just something to take lightly!" He was nearly hyperventilating. "What if she hates me?!"

If Hinata had any blood left in her face, she didn't at this point. _"How could I hate Naruto-kun? He's always so kind and energetic… He pulled a few pranks before, but I could never hate Naruto-kun…"_ She opened her mouth to say something, but only a dull whisper escaped with one word. "…never…"

Naruto didn't hear her, but everybody else did. Sakura was the first to speak up, looking directly at him. "Did I hate you, Naruto?" He looked at her with a pleading expression. "I never even pitied you." She chuckled. "Honestly, it just made me think of you more like…I don't know…the brother I never had." She knew saying that might shatter his heart and dreams for her, but she felt he had to hear it. More importantly, she felt it was important he be honest with his friends. If they couldn't accept him for the truth, she'd be feeding some knuckle sandwiches.

Naruto looked at Sakura. He saw her sad smile. For once, he felt like his intuition was telling him she wasn't telling him the full truth. She didn't tell him a lie, but it was as if she just didn't realize her own feelings for him. He turned his attention to Tsunade and Sasame. They both wore confident smiles as if to tell him he could trust his friends, most of all Hinata. He passed his gaze over to Hiashi. He was surprised to see his expression mirroring the Hokage's; though, his was more subdued.

His eyes finally fell on Hinata. She was giving him a questioning look. He heaved a heavy sigh. "My dream is to become Hokage, and a Hokage can't be dishonest with his friends. Can he, Hinata-chan?" He almost smirked at how easily the honorific came out. She looked at him with a slight glazed look. He was about to tell her the truth he always feared coming out, but he was following the near silent intuition telling him that stepping outside his comfort zone and telling her was the first step towards solidifying his other friendships.

* * *

Surprisingly, I originally planned only ten chapters for this fan-fiction. This idea changed as I expanded certain parts I was barely planning on writing. In short, I started having too much fun!

I'll state this now. With my general disgust at where the _Naruto_ storyline is going, I am definitely going to extend my ideas into another fan-fiction once this one is done. However, it'll take some time to write up the extension once this story is over without a slight bit of help - reviews telling me what I did right and what I did wrong. I'm not vain. I'm using my experiences on this site to help learn for my hopeful career. I'm working on names for characters, the opening chapter(s), and story in general. These could be pushed along by pointing out the highlights and disappointments in this story - start thinking now even though the story has at least several remaining chapters.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,988  
Story Page Count: 6


	11. Chapter 11

TimeShifter: I think Yamamoto proves to be one of the more believable leaders created for such shows. The fact that me isn't omniscient and perfect makes him, I don't know, understandable. I don't think we're here for a character debate, though. Hehe. Anyway, there are other inferences if you read between the lines just a little bit more. I don't want to spoil things too much, but I think a lot of readers may slap their heads with a collective "Duh!" once...certain details come to light.

* * *

**Lesson XI**

Neji stopped at the gates leading out of the Hokage's mansion which served as a sort of headquarters for all shinobi activity. He was finding it hard to shake the feeling he had. He looked up to the window where Tsunade was holding the meeting with the 'targets' and Hiashi. He didn't like that the group was collectively referred to that way, but he had other concerns on his mind.

Tenten noticed his hesitation and stepped beside him. "Hey, Neji, is something up?" His pearl eyes fell on her, and she couldn't suppress a wide grin. She knew some found the Hyuuga eyes frightening, but she found them reassuring.

Neji closed his eyes for a moment in contemplation. He shared a few of his suspicions with Tenten and Lee on the enigma of Naruto. It also happened to be one of the rare times Hinata surprised the three of them. Though Gai also appeared surprised, the three, genin at the time, knew he was acting. He nodded, however, at Tenten's question before opening his eyes to respond. "We aren't being allowed to see the necessary puzzle pieces to solve the riddle."

Tenten silently agreed. Lee heard Neji and looked up to the same window his comrades looked upon earlier. Kiba's superior ears picked up the conversation. He couldn't help but snicker. He latched his arm around Shino and whispered, causing the latter to raise an eyebrow suspiciously.

* * *

Hinata looked at Naruto with wide eyes. She was so happy to hear him attach the honorific to her name she nearly missed the sullen gaze he then held. When her feelings came back down to earth, she tilted her head to one side in curious wonder. _"What has him so uptight? He's usually so energetic when he talks about becoming Hokage, but he's talking like something's holding him back now…"_

Her internal musings were cut short when he closed his eyes, hung his head, and started to talk. "This…isn't something…I like to talk about. It's hard on me, and…it's kinda filled with a lotta bad memories." He looked up, and her eyes caught his. Though he wore a smile, it was a sad one. She was surprised, however, by how his expression seemed to be forgiving. She just wasn't able to understand who, let alone why, he was forgiving.

Hiashi cleared his throat which drew all attention in the room to him. "Hinata-chan, what you should know is that Naruto is putting a lot of trust in you." Hinata blinked as she stared at her father. She knew he was warming up to her since the chunin exams three years ago, but he never referred to her with the honorific signifying adoration. He smiled slightly and continued. "Let your heart tell you what you need to know."

She was confused. He usually spoke highly of dry logic which reminded her of the Aburame. Hiashi always praised strength, so she was confused at his insistence to follow the 'weakness' of emotions. Her gaze snapped back to Naruto as he chuckled. She smiled as her heart warmed. She was starting to enjoy this day for several reasons. She was surprised that Sakura and Sasame were remaining silent so far.

"Hinata-chan, have you ever wondered why the villagers look at me with hatred?" Hinata tilted her head back at Naruto's question. It was unusual, but the chunin exams three years ago started to change that. She might have giggled at thinking of that event frequently during this meeting if it weren't for the seriousness which filled the room.

Naruto sighed. He hated his childhood, and he had attached himself to things recklessly. He watched Hinata's confused look before he continued. "I've got something…inside me they fear. It's something people fearfully refer to as a…bijuu." Hinata gasped as hands instinctively went to her agape mouth. "The Fourth defeated the Kyuubi no Kitsune by sealing it inside the 'hero' of Konoha… I'm not much more than that accursed demon inside me…to them."

Hinata barely heard his restrained addition. _"Maybe he thinks of himself as the demon too, sometimes?"_ She frowned at that thought. Naruto was the strongest person she knew. Another idea crossed her mind. _"Wasn't the Fourth a master of seals? If they feared Naruto-kun, wouldn't that mean they doubted him?"_ Her eyes narrowed as her mind inundated with thoughts as she tried to piece things together. She remembered something from years ago, barely two weeks after Naruto left to train under Jiraiya.

* * *

The clang of shuriken falling against hard stone reverberated in her ears. Tenten watched the genin Hyuuga Neji as he stopped spinning. The cloud of chakra and debris dissipated quietly, and she barely restrained cheers and applause. He was getting better, and she attacked from his blind spot. He was clearly exhausted, sweating profusely. He never removed his serious mask even as his knees nearly buckled.

Tenten silently strode to him. Neji looked at her with his pearl eyes before closing them and taking a controlled breath. He knew what was coming. "Neji…" She carefully extenuated each syllable of his name as she grinned widely. "…I think it's time we took a break." She gave him a curious look when he neither agreed nor disagreed. He looked thoughtful. "Hey…what's on your mind?"

"They tried to use him as little more than a weapon." Tenten was taken aback by the comment Neji made seemingly out of nowhere. She didn't connect the dots until he continued. "Gaara finally found acceptance, and somebody tried to use fear and intimidation to separate him from his people and use him as a weapon."

Tenten sighed. The cursed seal the Hyuuga use on the Branch families probably helped strike that closer to home. "Listen, Suna got him back." She giggled. "In fact, I think I saw a kunoichi or two _eyeing_ him." She wanted to lighten the mood a bit and get Neji's mind elsewhere.

Neji allowed a small smile to cross his features before he lowered his head slightly. "There's something else that's been bothering me." Tenten looked at him with a serious, if confused, look. "His chakra… It was so offensive…so familiar." He cupped his chin in his hand as he searched his memory. She thought back on the whole incident. She wished she had eyes or some kekkei genkai, so she could understand what he was talking about.

"I too thought something was strange." The loud void which bellowed from behind them forced them from their thoughts. Neji and Tenten gave Lee an incredulous glower as he approached them. "However, Gaara held strong to his flames of youth and persevered against the odds. He is truly an inspiration! He learned much from Naruto who constantly displays his flames of youth with exuberance and passion."

Neji and Tenten both felt like a vein was about to pop. They couldn't count the ways they cursed Gai for cloning his personality onto the green-clad shinobi. Neji spoke up first while rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Lee…you…" He paused as his anger quickly subsided. "Naruto…" His friends looked at him, perplexed. "It's different, but it's similar…"

Tenten looked at him with confused annoyance. "What are you talking about? What's different? What's similar? You're speaking riddles." She jerked her head back in surprise when she saw a familiar smile creep across Neji's features. He had a mental challenge, and he reveled in it.

"Gaara and Naruto have different chakra than anybody else." Tenten and Lee nodded at Neji's odd explanation. "You know how the Byakugan sees, so I won't bore you with details. However…Gaara only has one chakra, so that's what threw me off. Naruto had two, so I attributed it to some kekkei genkai. Now that I think about it…" He thought back to the first round of the third section of the chunin exams. Naruto's words were still fresh in his mind. "…Naruto does have that strange seal."

The sound of a snapping twig drew all their attention. Neji flared his Byakugan to life and sent an icy stare into the trees. Tenten readied and threw a kunai faster than a non-shinobi could follow. When her weapon was intercepted by a much lighter shuriken, she followed the trajectory to Neji. He still held his arm outstretched, but he was visibly more relaxed. She couldn't help but glower. He set her aim off by over seven degrees!

Neji heaved a sigh. If he was a split second slower, he'd have a lot more explaining to do than he cared to. He fought off the killer intent from the female genin beside him and stood straight. In his usual composed posture, he answered her silent question. "I don't want to harm our _guest_." She could tell by the emphasis that though this guest was unexpected he didn't want him or her harmed.

In a very slightly annoyed tone, Neji called out to the uninvited guest. Tenten held the distinct impression with his intonation that this guest was welcome nonetheless. "You can come out, now." The short, dark blue hair announced the shy princess as she stood from the brush. Hinata nervously looked at the kunai that lay, thankfully, a good couple meters from her. Her attention fell on the shuriken which saved her from a crippling blow.

Tenten felt her eyes go wide as she placed her hand over her chest and sighed in relief. "Hinata?! I almost hit you!" She nearly rolled her eyes at the nervous habit playing out before her. Hinata fidgeted her forefinger and thumb in front of her chest with an embarrassed, light blush across her face. Tenten was suspicious, however, when Hinata's lavender eyes shifted slightly to look at the tree that was behind her.

Neji sighed again as he covered his brow. "Gai-sensei, what are you doing?" Tenten and Lee looked at the tree with wide eyes as Gai stepped out from behind it. They didn't think it possible he would mistake Hinata's presence for an enemy. They were surprised by the cracking of a tree's branch, but he was a jonin and, supposedly, better trained.

"Ah…you see…" Gai stammered nervously before coughing into a fist and straightening up. Neji and Tenten felt sick as he took on his self-proclaimed 'nice guy' pose. "I was only looking out for the welfare of my lovely students. I wouldn't dare let their flames of youth be snuffed out by some unexpected enemy. I was only keeping an eye out incase it turned out to be a fancy genjutsu meant to let our guard down."

Neji was about to protest when he heard Lee bellow out, and he felt that familiar pain in his stomach he was sure Hinata and Tenten felt. "Oh, sensei! That is so wonderful! You burn with the same fires of youth you strive to protect! I want to be just like sensei!" Needless to say, Hinata's questions were forgotten in the wind.

* * *

They were miles from the raging waterfall by the time Sasuke stopped. The rest of Eagle came to a halt behind him, and all were obviously out of breath. Though still feeling the effects of his earlier chakra exhaustion, Sasuke seemed better off than his subordinates. He stood tall as he took in his bearings. The noonday sun was still high in the sky. It was late afternoon at worst. They were far enough away from Konoha that they could relax without fear from patrols, and they stayed away from the normal travel routes shinobi took for missions. He looked to Karin with a silent command.

The red-haired kunoichi saw his commanding vision and nodded. First, she took a seat on the log nearest him. "Nothing's following us. We gave the shinobi looking for us the slip. With your knowledge of Konoha, it wasn't hard to get in and out. We can at least use the Uchiha district.

Sasuke kept his gaze ahead; though, he focused on nothing in particular. "No…" His simple statement shocked the rest of Eagle. "They're expecting us, now. We can expect heavier ANBU patrols around the Uchiha district." He paused as he thought for a moment. Suigetsu looked at each of his teammates in turn before laying against a nearby log. Juugo had already attracted some nearby fauna as he sat with legs crossed.

"We could use another area." Karin finally spoke up not liking how the silence hung. It wasn't a comfortable silence. Sasuke gave her a stony glare. She swallowed slightly before continuing. "We might need to use the Uchiha district when we attack Konoha. Perhaps we can use one of the training grounds along the outskirts to draw attention away. That is, if you're planning on following up the effects of your jutsu."

Sasuke smirked. Though neither Suigetsu nor Juugo believed him when he said she was the strongest kunoichi, there was a reason he said that. There was a reason he picked her. She had an ability to read people and chakra which lead Orochimaru to suspect she had a kekkei genkai. Her genetic profile may have inevitably been discarded, but she was still invaluable.

He let out a heavy breath before he answered her, and he sat on a boulder surprisingly closer to her as he did so. "You're right. I am planning on following up, and that's an interesting idea. If the jutsu originates from elsewhere, they'll realize they can't spread security too thin. The Uchiha district will still be guarded, but not closely enough."

* * *

Several items clicked for Hinata. She never got to ask Neji about his suspicions, but the puzzle pieces he was missing were cleanly laid out before her. In fact, her crush was even helping her finally answer the riddle. As her cousin, she saw the strange chakra which coursed through Naruto's chakra system. Before he left to train with Jiraiya, her eyes weren't yet strong enough to see the intricate seals he mentioned.

Naruto was getting worried with the protracted silence. He watched as her emotions played across her body language. Her face and eyes were the most telling. He couldn't tell to what or who certain sensations belonged to, but there were too many positive ones working across her features to believe she was taking it the wrong way. "H-Hinata…?" He hesitated, unable to attach the honorific.

"You aren't a demon…" Hinata berated herself on how quiet her voice was. She wondered if she sounded unsure. Naruto wore a questioning look, and she smiled brightly as she looked up and stared directly into his eyes. "Y-You are no d-demon, N-Naruto-kun. You _are_ a h-hero. Y-You are so s-strong and en-energetic. I cou-could n-never h-h-hate you, and you shouldn't hate yourself!" She was taken aback by her own forcefulness, but, after saying a word she loathed, it only felt right.

Naruto gave her the foxy grin she loved and scratched his cheek. She may have stuttered saying it, but it made him feel a whole lot better. He was surprised how right Jiraiya had been. In letting even one friend know, he felt like a weight was taken off his shoulders. Hinata didn't even hate him! In fact, she encouraged him. He still had a question. "You still seem mad about something Hinata-chan. What is it?"

Hinata hesitated. She looked at her father. She was surprised to see his face downcast. To anybody who didn't know Hiashi, it would easily go unnoticed. She jerked her head in surprise as she heard Sakura speak up instead. "Isn't it obvious, Naruto? She was mad at all the inconsiderate jerks who blamed you for something you can't control. She's probably hesitant to say she's disappointed in her father or me." Despite her words, Sakura wore a warm smile.

Sakura's warm smile was interrupted as something they all should have been expecting happened. Sasame nearly tackled Naruto as she wrapped her arms around the blond genin. Sakura really didn't want to think about where the reserved girl they met three years ago disappeared. Sasame pressed Naruto's arm between her breasts and rubbed her cheek against his. "Now that that's over, I think I'll be staying at…"

"…the Hyuuga residence." Hiashi finished Sasame's sentence. She pouted at him as he approached Tsunade. "The Byakugan will watch her if she's an enemy or guard her if she's an ally. I trust I have your permission, Tsunade-hime?" He crossed his arms over his chest in his usual confident posture.

Tsunade rested her chin on her folded hands. Hiashi made a good point, and she couldn't just allow a foreigner to travel the village unattended. Besides, her directness might ruin the shy princess' confidence. She nodded her agreement before turning back to the four, designated targets. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you to keep Naruto's 'guest' a secret. In the meantime, enjoy yourselves and keep an eye out."

Hiashi and the four teens left Tsunade's office before she slumped back in her chair and resisted the fit of giggles fighting their way to the surface. She didn't like some of the events which unfolded, but she was enjoying others. Having delivered scrolls to each of the team leaders, Shizune entered after the four left and stared at Tsunade, perplexed. It wasn't often the esteemed Hokage had a chance to sit back, palm over her face, enjoying an inward laugh. She couldn't help but smile. For the moment, the unknown status hanging around Jiraiya was forgotten.

* * *

I'm somewhat surprised at two things I was hoping for by now (actually earlier). One, I thought somebody would point out where the 'princess' and 'dark one' were borrowed from. Here's a hint, they are original characters from another manga universe. Two, there is a fourth girl mentioned in my story who Naruto accidentally proposed to. The latter will become clearer soon enough, but the former _may_ not be showing up again... Foreshadow much? Nah, I'm not telling..

I'm trying to keep the characters in perspective; though, they'll be going out-of-character to the manga/anime with a bit more plotting. I'd be interested to know how any think I'm doing on that so far. Also, don't think that Hinata 'instantly' decided. There was a long silence where she thought back on memories from shortly after Naruto left and after Gaara was targetted, so I hope I portrayed that well. I'm not the best when it comes to flashbacks, but they're going to become important.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,906  
Story Page Count: 6


	12. Chapter 12

Crystal Shadow7: I'll let my readers be the judge of how well written my story is, so thanks for the compliment. As for rewriting the summary...I'll certainly consider it. Maybe I'll get more views and reviews after my sequel starts.

* * *

**Lesson XII**

Sasuke was asleep as he leaned against a thick tree. Suigetsu had his back to a rock as he looked over his leader. His brow twitched every time he heard Karin's shuffling feet. He was trying to keep his temper in check, so he didn't have to hear Sasuke berate them. His short fuse finally got the best of him, but he managed to keep his tone in check. "You know something, don't you witch?"

Karin was nibbling at her forefinger until she heard her annoying teammate speak. She sent him an icy glower as she came to a halt and crossed her arms over her chest in her condescending pose. "What did you call me, you…?"

He shushed her and frantically waved his arms in a wild display. He wanted her to keep her voice down. _"Maybe I can take a civilized tone with her for once…"_ He was more interested in information than a confrontation at the moment. "Listen, I'm sure we can both control our tongues for now." She nodded, and he sighed in relief. "I'm just sure you know something."

The rustling of a nearby bush caught their attention. Juugo walked out to the small clearing with a serious look on his face. "I also wish to know." He paused, and the two wondered how such a big guy hid among the flora so well. "I find it strange. He can calm me like only Orochimaru could do, so I shall follow him no matter what. However, I agree with Madora. This plan seems…complicated."

Karin sighed. "It's only speculation." They were all ears. "Sasuke wants the elders dead. He sees that as destroying Konoha." They nodded. "I don't know what he's thinking really. Is it as simple as in with the new and out with the old?" She shrugged. She didn't actually care. She just wanted to be near Sasuke.

Suigetsu held up his hand and interrupted. "It makes sense. You get rid of those old geezers, and you destroy the old sentimentality. He said his ambition was to restore the Uchiha, right?" He smirked. There really was only one way to do that. "Who's he gonna mate with?"

Karin felt the flush in her cheek and stomped indignantly. "How vulgar!" She caught herself and covered her mouth. She carefully looked at Sasuke. He didn't wake. She took a deep breath and eyed Suigetsu. "That's beside the point." She knew it wasn't, but Suigetsu was still vulgar.

Suigetsu liked getting that jab in, but he knew not to press his luck. Karin was strong, in spite of appearances. He also had no intention of waking Sasuke, so he let her recompose herself. When her blood flow returned to normal, she eyed him and continued. "Orochimaru researched everything he could to master all jutsu. He wanted kekkei genkai, so he devoted a lot of research to genetics. I wasn't involved with _all_ the research, but I do know he was interested in blending kekkei genkai…because he believed the Sharingan didn't evolve but instead descended from Byakugan."

* * *

Neji, Tenten, and Lee were the first to notice Hiashi and the targets exit the Hokage's mansion. It didn't take long for the rest of the large group to take notice. Naruto stole one more glance towards Hinata before being accosted by Kiba. He was dragged, eyes pleading for help, towards the rest of his male peers. Ino and Tenten approached Sakura and whispered something to her. Hiashi and Hinata wondered at this.

"Hiashi-sama!" He turned to the chorus of girls. Sakura, Ino, and Tenten beamed at him, and felt a cold sweat. The pink-haired kunoichi stepped forward. "We'd like to borrow your daughter for a bit, if that's okay with you." She smiled sweetly, and he had the odd feeling refusing wasn't an option.

He looked at the three girls begging to borrow the Hyuuga heir. He at least felt secure knowing the girls were strong and well capable of defending themselves and his daughter. He looked at the girl in question. She was nervously fidgeting her fingers in front of her. _"It couldn't hurt."_ He nodded thoughtfully. "Care to answer why?"

Sakura's grin only widened. "It's a girl's night out; no boys allowed." In her mind, she triumphantly pumped her fists at the confused look barely noticeable through the Hyuuga head's eyes. She knew she had to answer the unasked question. "We have some free time, and we'd like to spend some time with just us girls for once. Besides, we can defend ourselves, and we'll call for help if the need arises."

Inwardly, Hiashi smirked. Tsunade's training was paying off. The medic nin read his most minute change in expression. He evaluated his daughter again. Her confidence and strength had grown significantly in the past three years, and she easily made chunin on her second try alongside Neji. It wouldn't hurt to let her spend time with girls her own age. He placed a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Go ahead. However, remember that the eyes of a Hyuuga cannot be fooled."

The girls smiled happily before they grabbed Hinata and Sasame. The orange-haired girl was going to follow out of curiosity anyway, but they didn't give her the chance to resist. As they passed the boys, Ino sent Shikamaru and Choji a nod. Tenten did the same but towards Neji. Naruto stole one last glance towards Hinata before the girls rounded a corner and were out of sight.

Kiba latched onto Naruto and playfully ruffed up the blonde's hair. "So Naruto, what'cha gonna do about Hinata?" The question was direct, and the expression on the genin's face was priceless. _"The knucklehead is speechless!"_ Kiba couldn't help himself. "Maybe you should ask her out on a date? I'm sure that shy princess could get wi… Ouch!"

Neji put his hand to his side as Kiba rubbed the spot at the base of his skull hoping the tenketsu there wasn't closed. He shook his head. "I think Naruto knows _that_ is more difficult than it sounds. For whatever reason, a significant number of people strongly dislike him, and he knows at least Hiashi would need to approve." He paused. "He may even be aware of the difficulties of getting through to the Hyuuga counsel."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in an odd nervous gesture. "That's not really it… If that's all I were worried about, I…" He paused. He wondered if his words meant admitting he had feelings for Hinata. She was cute, smart, and all sorts of other great ideals, but he didn't know what made her like him. "…would just head right out and ask and forget the consequences."

He heard Kiba snigger, Shikamaru sigh, and Choji chuckle. Naruto looked up and almost rolled his eyes at two more predictable reactions. Neji wore his confident smirk, and Lee's eyes looked like they were on fire while he shook a fist in the air. Shino was just stoic, so it was hard to gauge his reaction. He never said it out loud, but he agreed with Shikamaru. _"Troublesome…"_

Neji figured enough time had passed and took a thoughtful pose. He cupped his chin with his thumb and forefinger and tilted his head down slightly. "Speaking of which, Naruto, do you have any other clothes?" The orange-clad genin looked down at his battle dress with a disgruntled sigh. Neji barely restrained a smirk. "If you ever did have a date, you might consider something more…appropriate."

Naruto didn't miss how Neji paused. He was sure the so-called Hyuuga genius meant to make it sound considerate, but he knew it was calculated. The blond genin defiantly crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm always ready for battle, so I've never thought about it." The rest of the boys knew he was in their trap.

* * *

Hiashi watched the goings on with mild interest. He felt a familiar presence behind him and slipped away. He knew all the teens would be gone soon, and Kakashi and Yamato weren't about to let them out of their sight. He could even guess where each was heading. Kakashi followed after the group with three targets, Hinata, Sakura, and Sasame. Yamato had to keep on Naruto's tail in the off chance the Kyuubi's chakra started leaking out.

He casually walked around the corner and received the icy glare he was expecting. He smiled at the feminine figure hiding in the shadows. He took a deep breath. An explanation was long overdue. "Are you surprised I was concerned for my choujo?" He felt the killer intent coming off the woman. He sighed. "Please reign in your emotions. You could stress your unborn."

To this, Kurenai stepped out with a dangerous look in her eyes. Hiashi watched her posture. She was not the cool, collected kunoichi she usually was. She seethed with indignant fury. He knew this face was shown to few. In fact, he was sure he was the only one she showed this face to. Her lips parted to speak.

He held up his hand to stop her. After a moment, he bowed slightly. She was wide-eyed as he spoke. "I am sorry, Kurenai-san." He straightened and looked her in the eye. "There are things you do not know about, and you were the only one I could trust with my choujo's safety."

Kurenai lurched forward and grabbed Hiashi by the collar of his robes. With a strength few believed she had, he was forced to bend his head down to keep eye contact. "You threw her off on me, disowned her!" She closed her eyes to fight off the murder in her voice. She looked away from the man in her hands. "You expect a single apology would undo all that?"

He didn't move to get away. He could have easily disabled her and kept her at bay. However, he did nothing. "Please, Kurenai-san, listen to my experience. Calm yourself for your sake and, more importantly, your child's." It was no threat, and the jonin knew it.

Kurenai released Hiashi, but her anger did not abate. "Do not pretend to show concern." Ever since she met Hinata, she felt an unfamiliar sensation, maternal instincts. Her comment was incited by what she saw as fake concern for both Hinata and her unborn child.

Hiashi crossed his arms and stood composed. "I do not _pretend_ to do anything. I am either concerned or uninterested, and I do not change." He held up his hand to stop Kurenai before she spoke. "As I stated, there are things I have hidden from you." He knew he never said it directly, but he did imply it.

Kurenai looked at him annoyed. "What's so clandestine about shoving off responsibility for your own daughter, the supposed heir to the Hyuuga clan, onto some outsider? I was just a chunin at the time!" She was also sure he choose her completely at random, too.

"…a very well guarded chunin." Hiashi corrected her; though, she had no idea why. He paused for a moment at her startled appearance. For once, his expressionless mask broke, and he looked completely worn. "After my wife died, I was a completely broken man. My relationship with my daughters and brother deteriorated. What's worse, Hinata reminded me of her every day…"

Kurenai broke in with his pause. "You were a monster to her." She was taken aback when he winced. It was as if she threw a kunai through his chest. She steeled her resolve. He deserved no less than that. After a long silence, she started to fidget. It was unnerving, a silent Hyuuga. Their eyes made it worse. She paused as she eyed him. _"No, this is more like Hinata. He exudes loneliness and…shame."_

Hiashi's eyes fell to the ground. "I…almost hit her." Her expression was enough to know the question on her mind. "She made one, tiny mistaken, and I snapped. It was the first time I yelled at her, and Hizashi stopped me from…" He looked up at her. She wavered in her control, and she was ready to pulverize him for even thinking about doing what he was talking about.

Hiashi turned his expression serious. He immediately quashed any insecurities. "I didn't choose you at random, Kurenai-san." He knew her icy glare too well. Kurenai hid it well, but he felt it the first time he arrived at his manor. "You were the only one capable of, at once, protecting Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan."

She froze at that. For the first time, he heard him refer to his daughters with adoration. The honorific was enough to calm her to listen to him. She still held her suspicious gaze, but she had a feeling the years might have softened him. She took a deep breath to relax her tense muscles. "All right, I'm listening."

* * *

Hinata looked at herself in the mirror. She was holding a dress Ino picked out over her self while she still wore her baggy clothes. She flushed crimson imagining herself in it. "Um…I-Ino… Isn't this a l-little too, you know?" She paused as she thought about the right word. "…showy." The way she said it was almost a question.

Ino scoffed. She thought the dress would look great on her! "There isn't a man on this _planet_ who wouldn't gawk at you in that! If that doesn't get Naruto's attention, I don't know what will." She nodded eagerly to herself not realizing the looks of concern coming from the other girls.

Tenten spoke up to try relieving the tension. "If it's all right Hinata, you can try on other dresses first." Ino shot her a glower, and Tenten returned it in full. Ignoring the blond kunoichi, she called over to changing room containing the shy princess. "Come on, this is supposed to be fun! We've never gotten you out shopping before." Truth was they wanted to break the girl out of her shell as much as anyone. Her clothes were just too baggy!

Hinata picked up the dress Tenten picked for her. She had a lot on her mind. Since she was alone in the changing room, she let her thoughts piece together. _"Naruto-kun was so brave getting through all that. He was hated, and he just persevered. I wonder what it will take for him to gain the respect he longs for…he deserves."_

She liked Tenten's dress a bit more. It was more conservative, yet it revealed her femininity more than any clothes she'd worn before. She knew she couldn't get away without trying at least one dress on. She sighed as she stripped down to her underwear, and she looked herself in the mirror once more. She flushed. _"I wonder if Naruto-kun will like this."_ She paused. _"I want him to like this!"_

Hinata turned to the three dresses laid out on the bench. She grabbed the one Ino picked out, swallowed, and proceeded to put it on. She knew she would regret this decision later. She opened the door slowly with her head downcast, and she heard the collective gasp from not only the girls who 'abducted' her, but she heard it from nearly every woman in the shop. She heard a few things being dropped as well.

* * *

Naruto stared as his so-called friends gawked at him. First, they force him into a store against his will. Next, they throw him into a stall with a bunch of clothes without even one hint of orange. The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back was what he heard next. They weren't going to let him out until he changed.

He was staring at them now because he did change. The clothes were more civilian than anything he was used to. He was just glad they let him keep his footwear at that moment. He looked down at himself and growled. The black pants he now wore had the hem rolled up. They were made longer than necessary to be touched up to the customer's specifications, but Lee obviously thought it looked, as Gai might put it, hip and cool.

He wore a light blue shirt which he left to hang over his pants. He thought this little act was defiance, and he hoped it got him out of this clothes shop that much faster. Over top he wore a very dark, forest green jacket. He didn't like the contrast, but he didn't realize his friends thought it actually looked good on him.

It was, first and foremost, a change. The shirt matched his eyes and brought out his hair. The jacket and pants contrasted his hair and brought out his eyes. He didn't look like the class clown they all knew. Lee was the first to admit exactly what he felt about Naruto's new look. "Excellent! Naruto exudes the cool and hip excellence of his sensei! His flames of youth… Ow!"

Neji felt his vein popping as he walloped Lee upside the head. His fist was throbbing, but it was worth it. He folded his arms over his chest to hide his red hand. "I admit; it is an improvement, Naruto. Now if we could only get you to improve your battle dress…"

Naruto's eyes went wide, and he waved his arms in front of himself defensively. "No, no, no, no, no! I am _not_ changing!" He wasn't sure he even enjoyed wearing this despite the pleasant impressions he seemed to be making. A few patrons even stopped to give him an approving nod. That wasn't something he was used to, but a slight warmth in his cheeks told him he liked it.

* * *

I had finals and a killer week at work, so this chapter is what you should call filler.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,935  
Story Page Count: 6


	13. Chapter 13

Sadly, there are no reviews to comment on.

* * *

**Lesson XIII**

The hours passed, and the sun quietly sunk into the horizon. A crescent moon hung in the sky, and Hiashi found himself looking at an unfamiliar sight with mixed emotions. Hinata was gussied in the manner her friends selected. He didn't miss the mix of styles which perfectly complimented his eldest daughter. He actually found himself struggling to keep a calm face and fight tears back at the change.

She wore a gentle seafoam green, short-cut dress. A design patterned after a sprig of lilac decorated over her left breast and shoulder. The color selection managed to both compliment each other and bring out Hinata's natural beauty. She also wore yellow pins to keep her hair up. The style was unique. She didn't wear her hair in a bun; rather, the pins held her hair folded.

Overall, Hinata pulled off a rather stunning look. Hiashi shook his head. His daughter still nervously fidgeted before him, but the time out with her peers did help. He felt his brow twitch when his eyes once more fell on the bags…a number of them. They probably spent the better part of a year of her earnings; not that she needed her shinobi wages.

As he was wondering if it was worth it, he overviewed the varied girls' expressions. Sakura was quite pleased with everything. She was standing with Hinata complimenting her and trying to get her to stop constantly fidgeting. Ino sulked slightly. Hiashi guessed she didn't get her way entirely. Tenten wore a triumphant smile. He surmised that perhaps the conservativeness of the dress was her doing. Sasame was…surprisingly calm.

As he contemplated this, Hiashi finally addressed Hinata. "I trust you had a good time?" She flushed and shook her head. He took it she didn't trust her voice and continued. It was a bad habit of hers. "If Sakura is also staying, I'll have to make extra preparations." Hinata blinked and looked at him. He wore a slight smile even a Hyuuga would be hard pressed to catch. "I shall contact the taichou for each team then."

He turned to walk away leaving several flabbergasted teens behind. Not the least of which was one Hanabi hiding in the shadows to take in her sister's new look. She smiled slightly, not quite sure herself as to why.

* * *

Naruto lay back in the grass. He beamed, tired and sweaty. After the shopping experience, he was sure he'd never look at clothes the same way again. They did talk him into buying a new battle dress, but they were hard pressed to make him wear it. Lee was disappointed; he thought it took something away from youthfulness or something.

Shikamaru looked at the clouds in the dusk sky and lazily spoke up. "Y'know how troublesome it was you never noticed Hinata?" All eyes turned towards him, Naruto's a bit nervously. "You were always so loud and troublesome because you chased Sakura. Of course, she was loud in turn turning you down. It was all so troublesome." He sighed.

Choji laughed from his perch on a rock. "Are you saying it would be less troublesome if he did realize it?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and Choji smirked. "Besides, most of us probably figured it would help her build up her confidence a bit if she got around to it on her own."

Kiba howled at this, and Akamaru sounded like he was snickering himself. "Yeah! She did in his dreams!" With the exception of Naruto and Shino, the boys broke out laughing. Even Neji shared a quick chuckle into his fist. Kiba beamed as he continued. "Shino and I have been workin' on her confidence for _years_, but we were this…" He held up his hand with his forefinger and thumb about a quarter of an inch away from each other to emphasize his point. "…close to just spillin' the beans for her."

"Naruto." Neji looked to the blond genin. Seriousness suddenly permeated the air, and any jovial tunes quickly subsided. With exception of Shikamaru, everybody looked at him. Some had to sit up a bit. "You were my cousin's strength, and I thank you for that." He was somewhat surprised to see no skeptical expressions. Perhaps in the past three years, he was the one to change the most.

Naruto sighed. "It's fine, Neji. I didn't even notice." He thought back on his memories of Hinata. "I mean…I guess I noticed something, but I didn't know how to…" He was trying to think of an impressive word, but that wasn't one of his strong points. "…place it." He leaned back to gaze at the moon. "Kiba, you and Shino know her best. Did she stutter, fidget, or turn red around you guys a lot?"

Kiba blinked, and Shino raised a brow. The former broke out into a raucous laughter leaving the latter to answer. "No, Naruto, her behavior was more controlled around us." Naruto looked at the bug tamer; he didn't expect him to answer. "She held us in high regards as teammates, and we also recognized her as a strong and capable ally."

His lengthy reply was now drawing attention even as he continued. "As Neji said, you made her stronger. It is both a blessing and a curse you were not on the same team as her. Though you give her confidence, you also drain it when conversing." He looked directly at Naruto. "Now that you know, what will you do?" All eyes fell to Naruto.

He locked his eyes on the moon. He could make out the outline of the full moon, but only a crescent glowed. He wanted to avoid the gazes he was receiving from everybody, but his cheeks felt hot. _"I don't even know my own feelings…"_ He finally sighed and blinked. "I-I don't know." He heard a collective sigh.

After a moment, Naruto tilted his head while keeping his own gaze locked on the moon. "You know…now that I think about it…the moon reminds me of her eyes." Perhaps because he was alone most of his life or trained as a shinobi, the Hyuuga eyes never bothered him. As a moon gazer, he was probably among the few to find them attractive. He just never let himself think about it before.

Neji caught how Naruto paused, and he didn't let the silence continue long. "How does that make you feel?" The blond genin's eyes widened in surprise and fell on him. The Hyuuga jonin continued. "To civilians, the Byakugan can be frightening to look upon. Even among shinobi, few can look us in the eye." He smiled at the azure gaze returned to him. Among teams Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai, there wasn't a person scared to look him in the eye.

Naruto bowed his head, somewhat scared of what his answer might mean. He knew he what he was scared of. The Hyuuga were a proper _and _noble clan. Like a village, such a clan held elders in high regard as a council. They might not hold as much power as the head, but they held sway. Unlike a clan like Haruna, an individual couldn't just make a decision. He realized the silence was getting unbearable when he felt Neji's eyes boring into him. "Calm… The moon… I've always liked to watch it." He watched Neji smile.

* * *

Sasuke slowly woke, and his Sharingan sprang to life as his eyes opened. He was surprised to see his subordinates asleep in the same general area. Usually, Suigetsu would stomp off somewhere else because Karin refused to leave his side. The two were always at each other's throats. He knew they were loyal to him, and he knew her loyalty to him was unfaltering.

He stood and stretched his muscles. The muscles in turn contracted in stubborn defiance. After a minute, his body was limber enough to do warm ups. He walked over to his subordinates can calmly looked over them. Karin seemed to know something about his plans, but she couldn't figure it all out without help. She may have helped Orochimaru with his genetics research, but she only helped with research on the Byakugan and Sharingan.

She knew that research was disposed of because those kekkei genkai couldn't be blended. Sasuke, on the other hand, was privy to so much more information because he was never allowed to leave Orochimaru's side _and _had absorbed all his memories along with his powers. He still wondered if his ambitions would be discovered before they were ready. That was the only element making Karin dangerous, so he had to make plans for the night very carefully.

Karin was the first to awaken under his scrutinizing gaze. She blushed as she shot up. "Sasuke-kun!" She paused as she heard Suigetsu and Juugo start to stir. "How are you feeling?" She was sure his chakra exhaustion had waned."

Sasuke didn't immediately respond. He watched as his other subordinates sat up. He returned his gaze to her. "Prepare to move out. We're heading to training ground forty-three. From there, I'll launch my jutsu. After I collect the data, we're heading to the border with Earth." He paused to assess Eagle's reactions.

Suigetsu was the first to speak up. "We're going to the border between Fire and Earth? I'd ask if you're nuts 'cause the nations aren't on the best terms, but it sound like you've got a plan." He smiled letting his fangs show.

Sasuke nodded. "Once there, we'll have time to think about Eagle's purpose. Konoha will never pursue us there. We'll be safe from both sides; though, we really have nothing to fear from either." He knew his entire team, himself included, were in Bingo Books, but that never concerned him.

Karin nodded. She had questions to ask, but that was neither here nor there. She could ask him from a safer location. "How long are we staying this time?"

Sasuke carefully looked at her. Judging by her demeanor, he wagered she was holding her tongue. He nodded before continuing; glad she would. "We were found out fifteen minutes in last time, but they know what to look for now. We stay no more than ten minutes this time."

The members of Eagle nodded in agreement. Suigetsu wanted to fight, but he wasn't about to disobey his leader. Karin rubbed her chin as she thought about something and came up with a question. "What if they approach us sooner?"

Sasuke didn't wait to reply. "You know how to disengage me from the jutsu. Do so, and then we leave immediately." There were no further questions. It was partly because nobody had anymore, but it was mostly because Sasuke jumped away after answering and expected Eagle to follow. They did.

* * *

Kakashi and Yamato stopped the boys as they were leaving the training ground. Kakashi held a hand up lazily. "Yo." He smiled at the perplexed expression Naruto gave him. "Follow us. We're heading to the Hyuuga manor."

"Huh?!" Naruto was practically hysterical as he ran in front of Kakashi. He blinked frantically as he tried to form his words. He stumbled through questions, but they were so mumbled nobody heard him.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head as he tried to make sense of it. He knew the boy well enough that he could piece together. He didn't know if he should be frustrated or not. "Listen, it's easier to keep track of our targets if they are all in one spot, right?" Naruto nodded. "In that case, only the Hyuuga manor is large enough to house all of us."

Naruto went into his thoughtful pose. He knew Kakashi was right. Jiraiya pressed that point, and many others, into him during their journeys. After a few moments, he finally nodded. "Right!" He wore a bright smile. He figured he might get a chance to figure out exactly what he felt about Hinata, Hiashi, and the Hyuuga in general. He had, after all, said he would change the Hyuuga when he became Hokage, so he doubted they held him in high regard.

* * *

Hinata wondered why she stood at the gate entrance to the Hyuuga manor. She stood with her father, and they were flanked by no less than four branch house members. She was starting to feel a little nervous, and she nearly jumped with she felt a hand against her back.

"I like you new dress neechan." Hanabi was better at remaining expressionless, but she wore a genuine smile now. Hinata tilted her head with a smile before she mussed her little sister's hair. Hanabi frowned at this before forcing her elder sister's hand away. "Hey!"

Hinata giggled. "Didn't tousan say to stay inside?" She knew Hiashi did say it, but, interestingly, he didn't make it a command. It was more a gentle request. She wondered at it before she heard some footsteps coming towards them. She knew they must be the guests they were waiting for. To be polite, she immediately turned around…and gasped.

Hinata felt heat rising in her face, and she knew her face resembled a tomato. She wanted to fight fainting at any cost! She saw Kakashi and Yamato walking down the street with Naruto and the rest of the boys right behind them. Naruto seemed to be enthralled with whatever Neji was telling him. She judged it might be the 'rules of the house' based on how he was counting off points.

Hiashi sighed, and Hinata and Hanabi looked to their father. "It was my decision, but the elders still won't like it. We need to keep everybody together, so I can catch that jutsu that much sooner." He looked to his daughters. They were both looking at the unusual procession. He smiled knowing they wouldn't object. "I trust you will be on your best behavior."

Naruto was happy to see Hinata waiting at the gate. He was also happy to see nobody glaring at him with hatred. Based on how the four Hyuuga flanking Hiashi, Hinata, and Hanabi were dressed, he guessed they were from the branch houses. They covered their foreheads, but only one wore a hitai-ate.

The greetings were short, and Hiashi led the group of men and teens into the mansion belonging to the head family. He had plenty of guest rooms, and he led Naruto and his peers to their room before taking the team leaders towards his study. Halfway there, he asked Hinata and Hanabi to head to their rooms.

Once in his study, Hiashi closed the door. He looked at Kakashi, Yamato, and Neji before closing his eyes with a sigh. "We don't know if they'll try again tonight, but I won't allow them to have their way." The team leaders nodded. "As soon as I detect the strange jutsu, I expect you three to head out. Don't rely on your ninja senses. I expect you to use your kekkei genkai." Again, they nodded. Hiashi was satisfied.

* * *

Sasuke and Eagle were in training ground forty-three setting up the necessities. There were plenty of places to hide, and they chose a well placed cave. It was protected in such a way that they'd see anybody approaching long before they were spotted. They were setting up for Sasuke's technique.

He sat in the middle of a circle created from white sand and highlighted in candles. The candles would burn out five minutes from being lit, and the sand would blow away once the technique started. He was molding his chakra in preparation for the technique as everybody set up what was necessary.

Within the circle was a ten-pointed star centered on Sasuke. When Eagle stepped back, he opened his eyes to reveal his Mangekyu. His body slumped, and it was obvious his technique started. Suigetsu and Juugo set up at the entrance of the cave. Karin sat and concentrated. She extended her senses as far as she could to ensure nobody snuck up on them.

* * *

Sasuke stood in an abyss. His eyes were closed as he concentrated. He was seeking a specific mind. When he found it, he opened his eyes, and his target's dream began shaping around him. He sighed at the familiar scene. He was standing in a school infirmary wearing a dark, forest green uniform. He knew why Naruto dreamed this, so it annoyed him just that much more.

He looked up and smirked when a familiar red-headed doctor emerged from behind curtains hiding a gurney. "What are you doing back here Uchiha brat?" He was surprised when the smirk didn't leave Sasuke's face. "You know you'll just be targeted again."

Sasuke stood straight with absolute confidence. "I've changed the rules this time around. I have full access to my chakra even now. You do too, but don't thank me. I can handle the princess and dark one if they show up." His smirk broadened ever so slightly when the doctor rolled his eyes. "I'm only here for one reason. I need to talk to Fuuma Sasame. It'll just be a bonus to get back at those two."

The doctor roared in laughter. "If you think you can beat them, be my guest. Madara isn't that foolish, and neither am I." He growled slightly at the memories of Madara. Though he didn't have all his memories, he was fully aware of the Uchiha and why he hated them. _"They think they can control me? Ha!"_

* * *

I had another killer week at work, but I got my grades in for finals. I'm happy about school, but work...not so much. As such, I had to push past some writer's block.

We finally got some good manga episodes of _Naruto_; though, it is sad that Jiraiya is dead. Unlike Asuma, he got to die with his dignity intact as a _character_ rather than _plot device_. I haven't quite decided how I'll use this in my fan-fiction.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,897  
Story Page Count: 6


	14. Chapter 14

TimeShifter: Well, I'm glad you gave this story a chance. I try to keep the questions there, but I do answer them as the story progresses. There are going to be a few questions which carry over to the next fan-fiction, so don't fret if there are still unanswered questions by the end. I fully intend on a better title and summary for the next one... For some reason, I'm just not feeling creative for a new summary, and the title accomidates what the story is about (and actually answers one of your questions...I hope).

* * *

**Lesson XIV**

Naruto awoke in the room created in his dreamscape. He was somewhat surprised to be there and somewhat happy at the same time. He wasn't feeling lonely, hated, or depressed like he usually was when he dreamt this dream. Instead, he wanted and needed time to think. It was late when they arrived at the Hyuuga manor, so there was only really time to prepare for and get to bed. Kiba did throw in one last joke at his expense, though.

Naruto sighed as he rolled over and looked out his window. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon. It was early, too early. His eyes felt like lead and inched closed until he was squinting. The guys really laid it on thick. He closed his eyes and scoffed. "No. I was dense; I was the idiot." When he was dreaming, he felt like his mind was clearer. "You know; it's funny. I can mull over things in here like murk's been lifted." Besides, there was something he needed to think about, and this dream seemed as good an excuse as any.

Hinata really was a great girl. He even said it himself. She would make a _great_ wife someday. He sighed as he rolled over…again. He stared blankly at the ceiling. _"What are my feelings for her?"_ He never paid her attention during the academy. She was so quiet she was easy to miss, and she often hid from him. "She often…hid from me? I knew it, and I didn't even realize it?"

He shot into a seated position as he felt and heard a buzz. The unfamiliar object to the real Konoha, a cell phone, was vibrating its way across his desk. After nearly a second, J-pop started playing. He got up out of bed while scratching his rear through his boxer's material. It may be his dream, but he had no idea who could possibly be calling him this early in the morning.

As Naruto picked up the offending device, he looked at the outer caller display. The name 'Kiba' was flashing, and he opened the phone with a sigh before hitting the green 'send' key. "What's up?" He paused to listen. "Picture? What picture?" He paused again. "Huh?" He heard the chime reporting a new picture mail. He sighed and figured such action would be popular during this dream.

"You know; Sakura's going to kill us _both_ if this is some perverted picture." He had to hold his phone away from his ear as Kiba yelled, and he yelled right back in kind. "I'm not implying anything!" He growled as Kiba interrupted and talked about something concerning the words 'cute' and 'Hinata', not what he was expecting. He rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine."

Naruto pulled the phone away from his ear to click the soft key labeled 'Accept' to open the picture. His eyes went wide, and only one word could escape his lips. "Hina…-chan?" He was caught in an interesting predicament. He was stuck between wanting to look at the photograph and discern Hinata's exact appearance and discovering why 'Hina-chan' sounded so nice rolling off his tongue.

* * *

It was an odd sight. It's the only way Sasuke could describe what was happening right in front of him. The girl, Fuuma Sasame, was there, but she wasn't there. She was materializing right before his eyes. Even in the world of the ninja, it was a strange sight to behold. When she was fully coalesced, he spoke. "What have you been doing?"

Sasame immediately beamed at him and presented him a mock salute. "Fuuma Sasame reporting in!" She withheld a giggle when he scowled at her, merely continuing while dropping her salute. "I had a 'night out' with the girls. They really are quite nice; though, they don't seem to understand that 'night out' means it has to be _night_!" She giggled.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and guessed her explanation was going to be a long one. "I don't need to hear _everything_!" He paused, but she just smiled and stood there. She was holding back the giggles. His vision blurred as he fought back a migraine and decided to be more concise. "Why are you in the Hyuuga residence, and why is Naruto so close by?"

Sasame took in a deep breath like a long explanation was to ensue. "Well, I _was_ going to spend the night with Naruto-kun, but Hiashi-sama had different ideas." She decided to be brief and stopped before giving him everything he asked for. She was going to milk the brief exuberance for all it was worth.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was starting to grow impatient. He looked at the orange-haired girl, fully expecting her to continue. When she didn't, his glare told her to. When she still didn't, he urged her with rotating wrist. When he realized she wasn't about to, he rolled his eyes. "Don't make me renege on my agreement."

Sasame gave him an icy glower. She was not about to let him take back everything he said. "You can't do that! I did everything you asked me to!" His look told her he wasn't about to back down, and she knew she didn't have any ammunition. With a heavy sigh, she slumped her shoulders. "I've done everything you asked, and I can't even tell them why I'm here or what's going on. They're going to start suspecting soon, and you expect me to be able to tell you everything while keeping them in the dark? I just can't lie to Naruto-kun like that."

Sasuke nodded. "I'll give you something to tell them when this is over. As long as you fulfill this one, simple request, I _will_…" He carefully paused after emphasizing the future tense. "…completely free the Fuuma clan." He watched her face light up, but he held up a finger before she could give her report. "I have already worked towards that, and all I require is to finalize the deal. Now…no more silliness."

They turned to a corner of the school infirmary when a condescending chuckle erupted from the red-headed doctor seated there. He held a superior look as he watched them. "Anything that concerns the kit is just some big joke." He wanted nothing more than to bite Sasuke's head off, but he honestly had no idea how the technique would respond to that. He wasn't about to test his luck and be stuck with _those_ two.

Sasame eyed the doctor and pointed to him. "Is he always like this?" Sasuke simply nodded. She shrugged before answering his earlier question. "Hiashi-sama decided it would be best to house all the 'targets' in one location. He decided to use the head house within the Hyuuga manor, and we were invited to stay in the guest rooms." She giggled. "Hanabi was really cute. I don't think she's seen so many people."

Sasuke sighed. "At least we still have a while." He paused to look at how far the sun had risen in the sky. "It's been one hour and thirty-six minutes in this world. That means three minutes have passed since I started _Tenganyume_. I have no time to argue, so we'll come up with your cover story quickly." He wanted time to prepare the story, but he held another interest.

* * *

Hiashi's eyes shot open. The sensation was too prolonged to be a coincidence. He activated his kekkei genkai without further hesitation. His eyes narrowed the slightest, a sign of annoyance. He rose to his feet, and the captains followed suit. He knew their unasked question and nodded. "Do not trust your senses. Use your kekkei genkai to follow the trail."

Kakashi, Yamato, and Neji nodded before rushing out of his study. Hiashi was left alone, and he had things to contemplate. His run-in with Kurenai was still fresh in his mind. He made no excuses, and he had nothing but the truth to relate to her. He didn't know how she took it, but she left peacefully enough. After a moment of contemplation, he walked towards a far bookshelf and removed what looked like an album.

* * *

As they rushed through the house on their way out, they stopped at the girls' room long enough to wake Tenten and Ino. They were staying to watched Hinata and Sakura, respectively. When the paused at the boys' room, it was to collect everybody but Shino and Shikamaru. The former was to stay with and guard Naruto. The latter was in charge of those left at the Hyuuga manor, and he was pretty much ordered to stay in the hallway unless otherwise needed. He was supposed to be Sasame's guard, but entering the girls' wasn't necessary at the moment.

There were no complaints as the captains led most of their teams through Konoha towards the chakra signature. Since Hiashi told them to leave, a little more than a minute had passed. They were already coordinated, so the plans were laid well in advance. They primarily followed Neji. His was the only kekkei genkai given naturally through birth, so he could use it with a minimal drain on chakra. As they rushed forward, they did not go unnoticed.

* * *

Karin's eyes shot open. "Suigetsu. Juugo. There are chakra signatures moving this way…a lot of 'em." She closed her eyes again to keep track of them. She also needed to count them. Kakashi and Yamato were familiar, but the others weren't. There was a Hyuuga among them this time…

Juugo looked up from his position. "Are they a threat to our time limit?" He'd rather not wake Sasuke from the technique unless it was absolutely vital. He knew how badly this technique drained chakra, and an early arousal had potential to leave him in a state of shock.

Karin shook her head. "No, he can stay in _Tenganyume _until after the candles burn out." She didn't understand why, but those candles were required as a focus. They burned for exactly five minutes, and they represented the time Sasuke _must_ stay under the technique's influence.

Suigetsu scoffed. "They're way ahead of schedule." He knew as well as any member of Eagle no schedule was set. "It only took them a whole four minutes to find our leader's chakra." His voice dripped with sarcasm, but he didn't care. He was itching for a fight; he really wanted one. He also knew he wouldn't be allowed to.

Karin knew they were moving before she said anything. She just wanted to make sure. If her estimates were right, they discovered the telltale signal of the technique's chakra in a little under three minutes. They delayed themselves in order to accomplish something. She wasn't sure what, and she did not want to find out. She remained calm as she estimated how much time they had. "Three minutes… Sasuke-kun won't be happy."

Suigetsu and Juugo estimated what Sasuke might do if he weren't pleased with the results of his technique. They both shuddered at the unpleasant images. They also knew he would be more displeased with being found out than not getting all the results he wanted. It was a classic catch-twenty-two.

* * *

While Sasuke and Sasame came to a consensus on what Konoha would be told, the red-headed doctor kept his keen senses out for two, very specific intruders. He knew they were actually the intruders here, but it was still dangerous to simply ignore them. It was usually when one felt safe and invited when those two decided to show up. He warily eyed Sasuke from time to time wondering if he should tell Naruto what happened here.

With a sigh, he decided against it. _"Nah. The kit'd never believe me, anyway."_ Though he had no reason to believe he ever felt otherwise, he sometimes wondered why anger and hatred consumed him. It was only in times of surprising calm when he wondered if there was anything else to his character. At the moment, it felt like one of those times. _"Why would I even be concerned what the kit believes? What he's ignorant of is his own fault."_

He continued to watch them. They came to a general agreement after only thirty-odd minutes. He estimated roughly a minute passed in the real world. As he watched, they were discussing the finer details. They had been for the last hour, give-or-take. If he was right about the fraction of time, roughly three minutes had passed since they started their conversation.

Sasuke suddenly looked up from his discussion with Sasame and stood. "It seems out time here has been cut short." He looked at the position of the sun. "It only took them six minutes to sense and track the chakra from my jutsu." He chuckled and wore a confident smirk. "They did a lot better than I though." He looked down to Sasame. "I trust you understand our agreement."

She sighed as she rose to her feet. "Yes, Sasuke, I understand. I can't tell them you were here. I couldn't even if I wanted to. It's an advantage of _Tenganyume_." She sighed. She _knew_ Tsunade would have her questioned again. She was sure a professional interrogator would be utilized this time. She doubted she would be tortured, but it was still an unpleasant thought.

Sasuke closed his eyes. "I'm leaving." As he opened them, the dreamscape began to alter and twist around him. Sasame was slowly fading as she was drawn back to her own mind. "As I promised, the Fuuma clan is now free. Now, please keep my request in mind. There are no strings attached, but I would be…disappointed to hear nothing on the matter."

Sasame shook her head. "I know." She looked right at him before he faded completely from her vision. "I'll keep what you said in mind. I don't think I mind, really. As long as my clan's safe…" She let the implication drop as her mind faded from the strange void.

* * *

Kakashi, Yamato, and Neji arrived at the entrance of the cave and immediately knew they were too late. The chakra trail ran cold, and they knew nobody was inside. Kakashi slammed his fist against the cave wall. Yamato turned to address the rest of the team. As he did, he walked past Neji. Even he didn't miss the killer intent coming off the young jonin. He was mad, even if his mask never betrayed it.

Kiba, Choji, and Lee felt the tension and anger in the air. They felt how pressured Neji felt, and they understood why. He had grown incredibly close to his cousins in the past three years. He was also possibly partially responsible for Hiashi's sever lessoning in condescending tones towards certain individuals. They stiffened slightly when Yamato looked directly at them.

He cleared his throat, and the chunin went to attention. He knew they were awaiting orders, and they gladly would follow…if he had somewhere to lead. They wanted to get these mysterious attackers as much as anybody else. "Unfortunately, the trail ran cold again." The teens were instantly downcast. "We'll have another opportunity. I doubt they'll attack again tomorrow night, but they probably want something." He also thought they _might_ have collected what they wanted.

Kakashi and Neji walked back to the group. They both were considerably calmer. Yamato knew Kakashi was frustrated at being unable to help his comrades. The silver-haired man gave his orders. "Back to the Hyuuga manor. The targets may be waking up soon, and they may have more information for us." They made quick time back to the estate.

* * *

Eagle didn't stop moving at top speed until they made it to the clearing they first used to rest after Sasuke's technique. They were all short of breath when they finally did stop. When Sasuke opened his eyes, Sharingan swam in his now red irises. "We're leaving." His team looked at him with question and trepidation. "My ambition is sated for the moment, and I have completed testing _Tenganyume_. Madara wants us to do something for Akatsuki."

Karin was the first to speak up. "I thought we were heading towards Fire and Earth's border?" She knew they needed the chance to rest. Though they hadn't used much chakra, they exhausted their bodies through their guerilla tactics. They were constantly on the run to avoid ANBU and other detection.

Sasuke nodded. "We are." He leaned against a nearby tree. "We need time to plan and discuss our course of action." He paused to look at the members of Eagle. "Our ultimate goal is the destruction of Konoha. We already know what we need to do to accomplish that, but we don't know how. Our 'assignment' from Akatsuki is just a test for us. I need to assess how we work best together."

There were no arguments. Everybody knew the discussion ended there. Once they were rested enough, they made a beeline for the border. They had other things to discuss, and Sasuke did want to alleviate some of Eagle's curiosity. The trip would take at least a couple of days, and it gave him time to think.

* * *

You know what...? Going back and reading some of the comments, I realized something. If I was just aiming to have Sasuke put a bunch of girls in Naruto's life who cared for him, I'd include Isaribe (sp?) from the Anko into Wave arc (? - if you can't tell, I'm rather unsure of a few things...RESEARCH!). Since she's _technically_ in Konoha and _technically_ not being used...

Anyway, this was an interesting chapter to write.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 2,847  
Story Page Count: 6

_Tenganyume_: Clairvoyant Dream - The technique Sasuke uses to invade Narutos' dream. Like _Tsukiyomi_, time passes differently than in the real world. In _Tenganyume_, a a half-hour in the real world equates to a full, waking day of sixteen hours.


	15. Chapter 15

Crystal shadow7: Thank you for the bode of confidence. As I've said before, updating more often would be a problem. Plus...I'm starting Discrete Math.

TimeShifter: You know; you ask all the right question! I just don't want to answer a single one that will be fleshed out in future updates. Honestly though, I don't think I lucked out. I haven't been too surprised with what's been coming out the _Naruto_ pipeline. I'm excellent at foreshadowing. I've also weaved in the manga releases based on how little I've diverged from cannon so far. As for Hawk, the very first release where Sasuke named his team it was translated Eagle. I've been using it ever since, and I've seen some translations using either/or and even Falcon. One question I can't answer _yet_ is how I'll use Jiraiya's death. I just like the guy too much, as a grandfatherly figure.

ShinigamiXNinja: They say there is nothing original anymore. I borrowed the Naruto/Sakura make-out scene from _Aishitazure Baby_, by the way. I love the Naruto/Hinata couple, but I also _love_ throwing a wrench in the works. As for keeping the characters as they are in the manga/anime, I always, always try to see from the character's perspective. As this isn't...technically alternate universe (it really is...), I have to keep it all in perspective, neh? A note, you may like my _FMA_ fan-fiction (blatant self-advertising).

* * *

**Lesson XV  
Also Known As: Epilogue **(not really)**  
**

He heard somebody calling his name as his mind slowly flirted with consciousness. How many times was it? Was it two times? …three times? All he knew is what he wanted. He wanted… "…five more minutes..." …of sleep. His eyes shot open as he jerked to a seated position holding the back of his head which was throbbing. "Ouch!"

"Wake up when people call you!" Sakura bellowed right into Naruto's ear. She let out a huff and took two steps back. While his head was still spinning, she turned to Shino. "_That's_ how you wake up Naruto." She thought he looked like he was gawking, so she shrugged with a confused look on her face. "What?"

Shino simply turned his attention to Naruto. "You were under the influence of the unidentified jutsu again. The taichou want you, Sakura, and Hinata to report for debriefing." He turned and walked out the room.

Naruto just blinked and pointed. He was _sure_ Shino just forgot somebody. Shino _never_ forgot to mention anything. He looked at Sakura and Hinata with his confused expression. "Did he…forget Sasame?" He stood up and straightened out his tee-shirt. When he noticed Sakura leading Hinata out of the room, he double-timed to catch up. "Hey, wait up!"

Sakura kept her pace down the hallway. She got Hinata to lead the way to Hiashi's study. Naruto was following, and his short attention span seemed to have left him forgetting his question. She was a bit surprised, too. When Ino and Tenten woke her and Hinata, Sasame wasn't in the room.

The door to the study was in sight after only a short walk, and it opened just before they got there. Neji stepped out and motioned them in before stepping back inside. When the trio was at the portal, they froze. Sasame was already inside, and she was crying. Kakashi lazily sat in one corner. It was impossible to tell if he was paying attention. Yamato and Hiashi looked to be questioning her, and Hiashi had his Byakugan active, obviously observing for sincerity.

As the three stepped inside, Naruto looked around perplexed. "What's…going on?" He was careful not to offend. He was worried about Sasame, but he couldn't go offending Hyuuga and his sensei. Sasame looked up to him with a tear-streaked face and pleading eyes.

Hiashi closed his eyes and deactivated his Byakugan. "I heard the dream you four were 'trapped' in was a common occurrence for you. Is it true?" Naruto nodded carefully. Hiashi eyed him warily, but he wasn't interrogating. "I can understand the reason my choujo and Sakura might be drawn in. They are leaf shinobi, and the attacker may have assumed they'd let their defenses down in the dream." He paused. "However, Sasame was an unknown factor. We suspected she might have worked _with_ the attacker, so we sought to learn the truth."

Sasame broke down into fresh tears, and her face fell into her hands. Yamato nodded to Hiashi as he decided to take over. "It seems Sasame lied to us; though, I don't think we can blame her." Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura gasped. They never suspected she'd actually lie. Yamato shook his head before he continued. "She never learned the attacker's true identity, but she did confess that she failed her mission. As such, the attacker used the last jutsu to inform her that…" His eyes shifted to Sasame for a moment. "…her entire clan would be wiped out."

Hearing that, Sasame let out a fresh wail and slumped onto the table. Naruto felt his chest seize, and he clutched his fists tight enough to make his knuckles white and draw a sliver of blood from his palm. As his temper flared, Kakashi flashed across the room to hold his shoulders. "Calm down, Naruto." The tears welling in his eyes were proof of his overwhelming emotions, and the flashing of his eyes between azure and crimson was enough to worry.

"How can I stay calm at a time like this?" Naruto's voice cracked, fighting back tears. Flecks of red chakra began leaking out, especially around his fists. "We fought to _free_ the Fuuma clan! I can't just let this go!" He felt Kakashi tighten his grip on his shoulders and looked into his exposed eye. He was snapped from his trance and started calming down. "I-I'm sorry…"

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief as the killer intent leaking from Naruto died down. Across the room still standing by the door, Neji was only able to stare at Naruto. He didn't activate his Byakugan, house rules. He didn't need to. He felt and _saw_ the chakra fine without it. _"What are the pieces I'm missing to your puzzle, Naruto?"_ He saw Hinata place a concerned hand on Naruto's shoulder. He was more than surprised about that. _"She only flushed slightly?"_

After a moment of thought, Kakashi looked at Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata in turn. They were here to be debriefed after all. "What did you three experience this time?" It was the only question they needed answered.

Naruto felt his face warm, and he knew his cheeks had a slight, red hue. He didn't want to relate everything, so he decided an abbreviated, if true, version would suffice. "Well…" He scratched his cheek, a sure sign of embellishment or embarrassment. "I really didn't do anything. I just sat in my room and thought." He didn't notice the disbelieving looks he got from half the room. "I did talk to Kiba, though…"

Kakashi tilted his head. _"Is he actually leaving something out?"_ He cleared his throat, and Naruto was actually startled. He nearly jumped. _"I knew it… Now how to get it out of him…?"_ He gave Naruto a stern look. "Are you sure that's all?"

Naruto frantically waved his arms in front of himself defensively. "It is! I swear it!" He added something in his mind. _"…enough of it at least."_ Kakashi's body language betrayed his disbelief, but, to his relief, he just indicated for Sakura to tell her side.

Sakura nodded and stood rigid. She responded very seriously. "Nothing happened to me, either. Being I knew what to expect, I decided to do some investigating. Without access to chakra, it was very hard to search out anything. Let's just say I found out the dream world inside Naruto's head was _very_ well constructed." Kakashi nodded and indicated Hinata.

The shy chunin fidgeted as she looked around the room. "I-I knew it w-was a jutsu, so I tried t-to investigate, too." Her resolve softened when she saw Hiashi looking at her. She was worried what he would think, but she had to report. "I got…h-held up by Neji-niisan and Ha-Hanabi." She swallowed slightly and wondered why she was so nervous. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "I-I did ma-manage to slip away, but I didn't find anything before Tenten woke me up."

Hiashi inwardly sighed. Only Hinata and Neji noticed his distress, but he was sure Sasame related that, effectively, whoever cast the unknown technique felt his or her mission failed. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. "Relating what Sasame said, it isn't too hard to guess the ninja probably withdrew from the village. We know what to look for, and he killed the Fuuma because of her part in the failure."

Sasame's sobs were finally coming under control. Even if they weren't, she ran out of tears already. _"I _told_ Sasuke I didn't want to lie to Naruto-kun! Now I have to make him believe my clan's dead…"_ She was surprised how easy it was to convince them. Whatever Sasuke did, it allowed her to cry with real heart-ache. "I…" She hiccupped. "I'm sorry…"

Kakashi and Yamato sighed, but it was Hiashi who spoke up. "You had your reasons. You believed you were protecting your clan, and that is honorable. However, it did cost you trust." He looked to the team leaders he hired. "I shall pay you and your teams as long as the targets are safe, but I want to pay for one-week of services. This gives time to ensure the ninja has really retreated."

Kakashi, Yamato, and Neji easily agree with the wishes, and they quickly set down to discuss the terms. They make sure to dismiss the targets. Still being early in the morning, they were allowed to sleep until morning. The large group of chunin, one genin, and Sasame were able to rest peacefully.

* * *

The week passed quickly and without incident. The Hyuuga elders didn't enjoy the idea of Naruto staying in the head house, but they allowed it understanding the reasons. Tsunade saw it as a bit of a political game, but she was glad she didn't have to 'convince' anybody how good an idea it was. At the end of the week, she called the large group together for a debriefing. Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, and Sasame were asked to wait outside while the teams were called in by turn to relate everything they knew. The mission was labeled as neither a success nor failure.

Neji was first. He led Tenten and Lee. "Tsunade-sama, there was no damage done to Hinata-sama. The effects of the jutsu are unknown, but they did cause worry for physiological reasons." Tsunade nodded as she read the mission report along with listening to the verbal recollection. Neji continued unabated to relate everything his team saw or experienced. He just skipped over his intense desire to kill whoever threatened Hinata.

Yamato was next. He led Kiba, Shino, and Sai. His report was more rigid than Neji's, but it wasn't any more detailed. It was to be expected considering how little they learned. He was more willing to offer unsupported hypotheses. "The jutsu may have been intended for intelligence gathering. Naruto is an obvious choice as he has no skill with genjutsu. Hinata and Sakura may have been chosen for emotional reasons, to attack Naruto's defenses for example. Sasame may have been there to further reinforce this idea." It was as good a reasoning as any.

Kakashi was last. He led Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. His verbal debriefing was nothing like his written one. He pretended to be so absorbed in his little, orange book that he often missed questions or lazily answered them while glancing over the edge. He did add something interesting. "Based on both reconnaissances, I'd say whoever did use the jutsu was an accomplished shinobi. He, she, or they…" He wasn't leaving out possibilities. "…were able to completely cover their tracks, even chakra. The Byuakugan and Sharingan couldn't follow it."

Tsunade dismissed the leaders and their teams before ordering the targets to enter. Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, and Sasame filed in. The orange-haired girl looked a little worse for wear. Over the past week, she was interrogated multiple times to ensure she was telling the truth. Her story never changed, and they had no reason to torture her. Tsunade was inclined to believe her story and offer her condolences. It turned into a matter of what to do with her.

As she looked at the three, her face hardened. She tented her hands and rested her chin against them. "Whoever the enemy was, and I'm inclined to believe there were more than one; they were brazen enough to attack Konoha with an unknown jutsu. The effects are, as of yet, unknown. You've been off active duty for the last week, and I'm inclined to give you another week." Tsunade was chagrinned. She also had news to relate to them she was none to happy to.

Naruto was the first to call out. "Tsunade-baasan! We need to get out there and look for Sasuke!" He tried to look adamant, but he was taken aback slightly by the harsh gaze she gave him. He waved his arm to one side defiantly as he continued. "He beat Itachi, and it sounded like Akatsuki went after him. What if _they've_ captured him?"

Sakura shuddered at the thought. She knew Akatsuki because she was told the truth about her friend and longtime teammate. She heaved a sigh. She knew full well Tsunade wouldn't relent. "Naruto, calm down… Tsunade-sensei's only thinking of our well-being, and you know the reports as well as anybody. Sasuke-kun's been reported traveling with three others."

Hinata looked to Naruto and Sakura before affixing her gaze to Tsunade. "A-...Um…? Tsunade-sama…?" Her meek voice drew the Hokage's attention, and the shy girl nearly let out a squeak. "Wha-What are Akatsuki? Wh-Who's traveling with Sasuke?" She didn't want to be left out of anymore of Naruto's life.

Tsunade sighed. "The Akatsuki are going around gathering up bijuu. They are incredibly high-ranked missing nin from various villages. They have made an attempt on Naruto's Kyuubi no less than twice." Naruto was the only one to hear the bark the angry kitsune made. Tsunade looked directly at the anxious, blond genin as she continued. "_That_ is why I'm taking you off active duty for a week. You need to train and, frankly, prepare for the next Chunin Exam."

Naruto's face blanched at being reminded of his low rank. He was glad Tsunade was looking out for him and trying to help him advance, but he was so focused on finding and returning Sasuke he almost forgot about his goal of reading Hokage. He hung his head and muttered. "…but I've been training this whole week."

Tsunade didn't skip a beat. "I know. I've had constant reports from Kakashi and Yamato. You may have improved both taijutsu and ninjutsu under Jiraiya, but your forms are still sloppy." Naruto winced, and she pressed the advantage. "Your style seems to be outlasting your opponent. That works fine and genin and all but the best chunin, but an experienced jonin won't fall for your ploys."

Surprisingly, Hinata came to Naruto's defense. She held firmness to her voice many wanted to bring out. "Tsunade-sama, the Chunin Exam isn't to test if he's capable of taking on a jonin. It's to see if he has what it takes to lead a team and gauge his strength. Even without the exam, he's shown that. Hasn't he?" When she realized what she said, she immediately apologized and bowed her head in dismay.

Tsunade smirked. The week was kind to the shy heir. She leaned back in her chair with a dismissive swing of her hand. "Kakashi told Naruto that he was already strong enough to be a jonin. He can't attain that rank without first becoming a chunin. If he even wants me to _consider_ that possibility, he needs to train more seriously." She held her hand to a chin as if she had a sudden idea and turned to Sakura and Hinata. "Unless…you're proposing that you help train him?"

Tsunade let out a satisfied giggle as more blood rushed to Hinata's face than she could handle. The poor girl fainted, and Sakura and Sasame were forced to catch her. Naruto stared on in panic, and Tsunade was forced to stifle her laughter. When Hinata recovered, they were dismissed. They were also ordered to train. In addition, Sasame was ordered to report for hospital duty with Hinata and Sakura.

* * *

Naruto sweated profusely and panted heavily as he entered his fighting stance once more. Hinata, Sakura, and Sasame were watching him from their resting places. Hinata just finished sparing her indomitable crush finding out once again he could outlast her tens of times over. Considering his energy and surprising aptitude for learning, Neji, Lee, and Tenten were also called to help his training the other day.

Neji and Tenten were observing from the opposite side of the open field as he faced Lee. They were to spar in order. To avoid hurting anybody's eyes, Naruto was being forced to train in his new battle dress. To his bemusement, everybody said he looked good in it. It was a very dark blue with blotches of forest green. It blended in well with shady forests. His hair still stood out, but that was an easy fix reserved for missions.

The biggest surprise, however, came from Neji's suggestion that Naruto train with weights. He presented several reasons. First, he had to get to the point where he could easily keep up with Lee. Second, it helped train chakra control. Third, every increase in weight forced him to adapt. Finally, he needed to learn to naturally trace a trajectory to avoid being hit. On the third day of his training and the second day Team Gai joined them, Naruto's new battle dress was joined by a slightly lighter shade of forest green wrist and ankle weights.

They were on the fifth day of training, and Kakashi and Yamato joined them. They were there to observe and teach elemental manipulation of chakra. They were stunned by how quickly Naruto adapted to the weights, and Kakashi was loathe admitting Gai might have actually thought up a decent training regimen with that. The training was straight forward, but it was showing results.

* * *

Kakashi was walking toward the main entrance with his head stuck between the pages of his book. The week passed without incident, and he was glad for that. He was able to teach Naruto a lot more about elemental manipulation, and the blond genin soaked up related techniques like a sponge. Two more ended up joining Naruto's training session, Kiba and Shino.

Kakashi let out a perverted chuckle. He was pretending it related to his book, but he was thinking about how much those two added to the whole experience. He still didn't know if it was more out of curiosity or some instinctive rivalry. Either way, he didn't care as long as it got result.

As he approached the gate, he stopped dead in his tracks. It was a comical scene as he still had one foot raised in the air. His entire attention was diverted to the scene, and his visible eye opened in some mix of fear and mirth. "Oh no…" A red-headed kunoichi was arguing with the guards on duty. Kakashi felt foreboding. "This can't be good…"

* * *

Does Kakashi recognize this new kunoichi? Who is she, and why is she arguing with the guards on duty? You'll have to wait to find out with the introduction of my new _Naruto_ fan-fiction next later today, a work weeks in the making! I promise two things with today's next installation. One, I will be increasing chapter length. Two, I will not be answering a single question this story has created.

The final bijuu has been revealed. It seems I, along with many fans, were right. The picture was as vague as possible, but it appears to be a dragon...with eight tails. As I already have plans I have no interest in changing, I wonder how many of you will enjoy the divergences. The proposal Naruto received was interesting, but the scroll with the 'key' Jiraiya gave a certain toad to deliver for Naruto seems to have been forgotten.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 3,020  
Story Page Count: 6


End file.
